The Stay at Alfea College for Fairies
by Alexandra989
Summary: The Gaang, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee are invited to Magix and to stay at Alfea College for Fairies. There they meet the famous Winx and friendships and rivalries are formed. Individual chapters. Canon pairings.
1. Honoured Guests

** This fan fiction is not really a continuous story line, but rather like the Winx comics. Individual chapters. So if you have any suggestions, feel free to voice them! All suggestions will be greatly appreciated. **

The whole of Alfea was abuzz with activity, just like any other day. But today, there was something else. A feeling of anticipation hung in the air, for Alfea expected some very special guests that night, guests from an entirely different realm.

"I heard they come from a place with only four countries!" Musa said. "Can you imagine how small the planet would be? I mean, only four countries?"

"Maybe the countries are huge," guessed Flora.

The Winx were on their way to Winxology. Roxy walked with them. They were just as excited as the other students about the new arrivals, wondering who they were and what they could do.

"See you later, Roxy," Bloom said, as Roxy ran off to her own class not far off as the Winx entered their assigned classroom.

All the teachers, including the Winx, found it very hard to teach the students that day. The fairies seemed very distracted and were hardly paying attention. Professor Wizgiz decided to cut some slack and allowed the students to play games in his classroom, Professor Palladium went through some notes and exercises before giving his students the rest of the class off. However, teachers like Professor DuFour didn't see this whole new-arrivals-from-a-different-land-with-only-four-countries thing as an excuse to reduce the load of homework. She gave them even more, and anyone who complained was to serve detention. As for the Winx, they allowed the fairies to play with their spells in the class, after trying for half-an hour to get them to concentrate, but failing.

"Phew! I'm glad all that's over and done with!" Bloom sighed with relief, as the Winx walked out of their last class at the end of the day. "Everyone's too excited about the visitors tonight, and I can't say I blame them! It's not every day Alfea welcomes guests and when it does, the guests are usually... well, boring people from the Fortress of Light council or something- sorry, someone, like that. But this time, it's a little different."

"To tell the truth, I am a little excited to see our guests as well," Aisha said. "We've never heard of this land they come from and I bet it'll be really interesting to learn all about them and their culture and whatnot."

"Faragonda said that the purpose of them coming to Magix is to study magic and the culture of the people in such a magical and modernised place. I heard that their country is rather primitive," said Flora. "And at the same time, we can learn many things from them, too, like Aisha said. I wonder if they have magic, but I doubt it. After all, if they knew magic, they wouldn't come to Magix to study us, would they?"

Tecna checked the time on her phone. "It's almost time, girls! We'd better hurry or we won't be there when our mysterious guests arrive! As teachers, we're supposed to welcome them at the front door!"

The Winx picked up their pace and arrived at the front door of Alfea, where the teachers and Headmistress Faragonda were already gathered.

"I wonder how they're arriving if their planet is primitive?" wondered Tecna aloud. "How are they going to travel across the magical dimension?"

"That has been taken care of," Headmistress Faragonda informed the girls, having overheard Tecna. "Kind Codatorta and his specialists have personally flown one of their biggest spacecrafts over to the land of the four nations to pick up our honoured guests. They should be arriving any time now."

"Is that why Sky said he was so busy lately?" Bloom said, thinking about her fiancé, whom she hadn't seen for days. "Have the boys gone on this mission with Codatorta?"

"Yes, Bloom, I think the Specialists have gone to pick our guests up," said the headmistress. "And if you want, I can persuade Codatorta to let them stay and join in the merrymaking for a while, what do you think?"

The Winx beamed. "Oh please, headmistress, do persuade Codatorta!" implored Stella, who looked ready to hug the headmistress.

Miss Faragonda chuckled. "Very well," she smiled.

Stella turned back to her friends. "You know one thing I really want to see about our guests? Their clothes! I have to see how they dress and determine if they have a sense of fashion!"

"She's the same old Stella," Musa sighed, almost to herself.

"They're here, they're here!" exclaimed Professor Wizgiz, pointing up at the sky. All the teachers looked up and saw a spacecraft from Redfountain, slightly bigger than the ones they use every day, preparing to land in Alfea's courtyard. It slowly descended and finally landed perfectly. The door opened and a flight of stairs unfolded and Codatorta came walking up to the teachers.

"Good evening, Faragonda," he greeted the headmistress. "I will be dropping off your honoured guests here and then my Specialists and I will head back to Redfountain."

"Oh please, do stay a little longer! Plus, I'm sure your Specialists are tired after such a long flight. Do let them stay for a little while," said the headmistress. The Winx crossed their fingers behind their backs.

"Very well, if you insist," said Codatorta. "I must admit, we are tired. We've been flying for hours."

The Winx's gazes moved over to the spacecraft, which some people were descending from. They didn't look like the boys, so they had to be the guests they had been expecting. As the sky had already darkened, it was hard making out their appearance and what they wore. All the Winx could tell was that they were rather thin, except for one of them, who was rather plump. They were probably no older than the Winx were, except for the plump one, who seemed a little older.

"Go on in," the headmistress told the other teachers. "I will escort in the guests with Codatorta and the Specialists."

The Winx and the other teachers headed to the hall, where the students of Alfea were having their dinner and awaiting the arrival of the guests. The Winx, despite being teachers, chose to sit with their friends instead. They dropped down into seats beside Roxy.

"Did you see the guests?" Roxy asked, excitedly. "How did they look like?"

"We did see them, but we couldn't really see their features as it was rather dark," Bloom replied. "Don't worry, Headmistress Faragonda is escorting them in. We'll see them in a few moments' time."

Just as Bloom said that, the doors of the hall were flung open and in trooped Faragonda, Codatorta and the guests.

At the front was the plump figure the Winx had discerned earlier. He was an old man, with white hair and was dressed in robes of red. He wore a huge smile on his slightly wrinkled face and was beaming at everyone.

Behind him was a bald boy with a large blue arrow on his head, stretching down to his forehead. He was dressed in robes of orange and yellow, with what looked like an amulet around his neck. The Winx noticed that there were three white spirals on the amulet. The boy looked no older than twelve or thirteen, and was wearing a huge grin, which reached from one ear to another. He seemed just as excited as any of the Alfea students.

Standing behind the boy with the blue arrow on his forehead was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years of age. She had tanned skin and brown hair, which was tied in a plait with two loops at either side of her face. She was gazing around the hall with an expression of interest, surveying the watching fairies and exchanging a few words with the boy with the blue arrows once every few seconds. She wore mostly blue, with white and black robes beneath her blue ones and to the students' amazement and amusement, she carried a gourd of water, which had been attached to her belt.

Behind this girl dressed in blue was another boy, of about sixteen or seventeen years of age, also tanned and dressed in blue. He had black hair pulled back in a ponytail that didn't look like a ponytail at the back of his head. He carried a green sling bag, which was bulging with items. He also carried a magnificent sword, in a case of red and gold. Several of the fairies' eyes widened at the sight of it.

Following the line behind the boy and the girl, was another girl, who was rather small in size but looked like she could be twelve or older. Most probably thirteen. She had black hair and wore mostly green and white. All the fairies noticed that she was barefooted and looked straight ahead. Aisha suddenly realised something.

"Girls, I think that girl in green is... blind," she said, in a low voice to her friends.

The Winx stared at the girl in green. Yes, she did look like she was blind, looking up straight and when the girl in blue talked to her, she nodded and replied, without actually meeting the other girl's eyes. But she was walking along with her friends casually, unlike blind people. She wasn't even carrying a walking stick or anything to aid her.

How was she doing it?

The next person in the line was a girl who had on a thick layer of make-up. She wore a weird headdress and a green padded outfit and fans. She had short brown hair and gazed around the hall. Not many could discern her expression under all the make-up she wore.

"Whoa. Even I wouldn't put on that much make-up," Stella whispered to the others.

Another boy followed, but as this boy who looked about the same age as the other boy in blue, came into view, a large number of the students gasped for the boy had a scar over his right eye, which stretched all the way over his ear. He had black hair and was dressed in red, the designs of his outfit resembling the ones the plump old man wore. He was scowling slightly as he surveyed the hall. Some of the girls seemed to cower under his glare while others thought if it wasn't for the scar he would be pretty good-looking.

"Despite the scar, I still say he's hot," Stella told the other Winx.

"Watch what you say, Stella, remember, the boys are right behind them," Aisha reminded her friend.

Following the boy with the scar closely, was a girl of about fourteen or fifteen years of age, who reminded the Winx instantly of the witches of Cloudtower. She had black hair which had been tied up in a topknot with bangs falling on either side of her face. She wore a smirk as she scrutinised the hall of fairy students gazing at her. She was dressed in red and wore a flame-shaped ornament in her topknot. As she surveyed the hall, her eyes met Bloom's and they stared at each other for a few moments, before Bloom tore her gaze away. She instantly knew she was not going to like that girl.

"There's some resemblance between her and the boy with the scar," Musa pointed out. "I'm ready to bet they're related in some way. Siblings, perhaps?"

Following the girl with the bangs and looking extremely bored was another girl with long coifed black hair and was dressed in black and red. She sighed to herself once or twice and didn't really take much notice of the hall.

The last girl at the end of the line following the bored girl was a total opposite of her friend. She was dressed in pink and had braided brown hair. She seemed like a bubbly, excitable, fun-loving girl, who was then gazing around the hall with a smile. She made eye contact with Roxy and gave a small wave.

Ushering the guests in, the Specialists soon came into view, grinning and waving at the Winx, who grinned and waved back. The guests were ushered to the front of the hall before the Specialists hurried over to the table the Winx sat at and occupy seats that had been left empty for them.

"Like Alfea's new guests?" asked Sky, as he dropped into his seat. "You'd better, as you're going to be putting up with them for a few months or more, I heard!"

"You can't be serious!" Roxy gasped.

Headmistress Faragonda clapped loudly to get everyone's attention. "Good evening, fairies of Alfea. Tonight, we welcome ten honoured guests from the land of the four nations, the Avatar Universe!"

The fairies applauded.

"In this Avatar Universe, there are four nations of the four elements, water, earth, fire and air," the headmistress began explaining about that strange land. "Some of the people of a particular nation have the ability to manipulate their natural element while others aren't born with this special ability. What they do isn't magic, but... do help me out dear, what is it that you do?" Headmistress Faragonda turned for a moment to the girl in blue who told the headmistress something. Miss Faragonda turned back to face the hall. "What they do isn't magic. It is an ancient art unique to their culture, which has been practised for centuries and centuries! They call it... bending! All benders can only bend one element, their natural element, but there is one special person who can bend all four elements, and it is the Avatar, a master of the four elements, a being who keeps peace and balance in their land. When the Avatar dies, he or she is reincarnated into the next element or nation of the cycle; water, earth, fire, air. If you're confused, here's an example: a firebender Avatar passes on and is reborn as an airbender!"

The fairies started discussing among themselves. Bending? The four elements? Avatar? Reincarnation? Their guests were weirder than they had expected them to be! Their attention was redirected to the front once more when the headmistress clapped again.

"You will all be treated to a bending demonstration tomorrow, when i will introduce more about the art of bending, but for now, let us welcome our honoured guests! I shall do the introductions!" The headmistress turned to the plump old man, who was still beaming at everyone. "This is General Iroh, a retired general from the Fire Nation! He is a great firebender and is also known as the 'Dragon of the West'!"

The fairies applauded. Some of them noticed that the scarred boy smiled slightly as the old man was introduced.

"Fire Nation!" Musa almost laughed out loud. "And firebender!"

"You know, I could get some advice from him on how to improve my fire," Bloom said, thoughtfully, studying the retired general.

"Remember, Bloom, they don't do magic," Tecna reminded her friend. "They bend."

Headmistress Faragonda moved on to the boy with the blue arrows. "Meet Avatar Aang, the current Avatar, who is an Air Nomad! The Air Nomads are mostly monks and that's why they shave and are very peaceful and spiritual people. They live in temples. Airbenders who have arrow tattoos on their heads are masters, like dear Aang here!"

The fairies applauded once more.

"The Avatar!" Bloom exclaimed.

The girl dressed in blue was introduced as Katara, a master waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe. According to Headmistress Faragonda, there were two Water Tribes, located at the poles, where their architecture consists mostly ice buildings. The boy in blue was introduced as Sokka, Katara's brother, who was also from the Southern Water Tribe. He was a skilled warrior.

"He's handsome, but not as hot as the boy with the scar," Stella remarked, earning herself a look from Brandon.

The girl in green was then introduced. Her name was Toph Bei Fong and apparently, she was from an upper-class family and was blind.

"I told you she was blind!" Aisha said to the Winx.

Toph Bei Fong was also a great earthbender and the founder of metalbending, an advanced form of earthbending, which the headmistress promised to talk about more in the following day's bending demonstration. She also promised to explain how Toph was able to see, being blind, the following day as well. The fairies groaned in disappointment. A huge number of them had taken an interest in the blind girl in green. They learned that Toph was from a town named Gaoling in the Earth Kingdom.

The girl with the heavy make-up was known as Suki, and she was a Kyoshi warrior. Headmistress Faragonda explained all about Avatar Kyoshi and how she had defeated Chin the Conquerer and separated the mainland and all about Kyoshi Island and the origins of the Kyoshi warriors. It was the first time the students of Alfea had actually listened intently to some history.

"Don't you think it's a bit like being a wannabe, copying one of the past Avatars' make-up and style?" Stella said.

"They're the Kyoshi warriors, after all, Stella," Musa said.

The fairies soon learned that the scarred boy was actually the prince of Fire Nation. His name was Zuko and he was a master firebender and the General Iroh was actually his uncle. How he got his scar wasn't mentioned.

"I wonder how he got his scar," Riven said. "Probably while playing with fire or something. Whoa, you wouldn't wanna be near those firebenders when they're playing with their fire."

The girl with the bangs who reminded the Winx of a Cloudtower witch turned out to be Prince Zuko's sister, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. She was a firebending prodigy and an unmatched master. Zuko's scowl seemed to deepen as she was introduced.

"A firebending prodigy and an unmatched master. You should try this girl instead of that old man, Bloom," said Stella.

"Are you certain?" Bloom asked Stella. "I don't think I'm gonna really like Princess Azula. I'd rather go with the general, her uncle."

The bored girl was introduced next, as Mai, also of the Fire Nation. She was a non-bender ("Guess that's what they call people who have no magic- sorry, bending powers," guessed Flora) and a warrior. The girl in pink was an acrobat named Ty Lee, whom the Winx confirmed had a really bubbly attitude.

"Just look at the way she smiles," Flora said, smiling slightly.

The guests had taken their seats at a large table near the front of the hall. A feast had been thrown in their honour and the girls tucked in, despite having savoured some appetisers earlier, as the food was too good to pass and Alfea rarely had these feasts.

The fairies noticed that there were new things on the menu. "What's that?" Bloom asked, pointing at one of the dishes, that looked like a giant roasted caterpillar.

"It's scary..." Flora shuddered.

"It's smoked sea slug," Tecna said, almost making all of them throw up all over their plates. "It's Water Tribe cuisine."

"Well, these are nice," remarked Sky, chomping on something. "If I'm not mistaken, they call it 'fire flakes'. It's kind of spicy, though."

"Seal jerky, anyone?" Tecna asked, teasingly offering it in Roxy's direction. The fairy of animals shuddered.

"Why are they serving rocks?" Aisha suddenly asked, as a dish made up of coloured rocks was served.

The Winx glanced over at the table at which the new arrivals were seated at, eating. None had touched the rock dish, not even the earthbender Toph.

"It's jennamite," Tecna explained, looking down at her phone. "A type of rock candy and a favourite of King Bumi. Who's King Bumi?"

"A good friend of mine! He's a crazy king who rules the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" said a cheerful voice behind them.

The Winx turned and spotted the boy with the blue arrows behind them. He was smiling.

"Hi there! Nice to meet you, Avatar!" Bloom hurriedly leaped to her feet and greeted the Avatar. "I'm Bloom, from Domino." She extended her hand.

Aang stared at it for a few moments, as though unsure what to do, before he shook it. "Sorry, but back there, we greet each other like this." He placed his right fist against his left palm in a sort of salute.

"Oh, I see," Bloom said, slightly embarrassed, copying Aang. "Avatar Aang," she addressed, with the salute.

"Please, just call me Aang," the Avatar said.

"Can you show us a little airbending?" asked Sky, grinning at Aang.

"Sure! Check this out!" And he began spinning marbles in his hand using airbending.

The Winx laughed, entertained. "I'm sure that's not all to it, but we'll see more tomorrow, I guess," said Tecna.

"I'm gonna go meet the other fairies. See you later!" Aang ran off.

"What a sweet boy," Flora said. "He obviously has a sense of humour."

"Yeah, not like Scar Boy over there," Riven said, jerking his head in the direction of the table.

"You shouldn't say that, Riven, you don't know anything about him!" Musa chided her boyfriend. "And don't you dare ask him where he got it! He might not want to talk about it."

The Winx didn't meet any of the other new arrivals that evening and turned in after the feast.

"I can't wait for the bending demonstration tomorrow," Flora enthused to Bloom in their bedroom.

"Me too," Bloom said. "I can't wait to see some firebending. Shame we couldn't get to know them better this evening. I guess they have jet lag."

"Well, we can do that tomorrow, can't we?" said Flora, snuggling under her blankets. "Good night, Bloom."

"Sweet dreams, Flora."

**Sorry if you found this chapter a little too long! Anyway, as I stated at the top, the following chapters will be individual ones, not really following the timeline. I currently have a few ideas, but all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!  
**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**I do not own Winx Club or Avatar: The Last Airbender.**


	2. Bending Demonstration

The fairies of Alfea were as excited as they were the previous night when expecting the arrival of the honoured guests as the next morning, anxiously awaiting the anticipated bending demonstration from their honoured guests.

"I can't wait to see some firebending!" Bloom told her friends that morning. "I really hope one of them is good enough to teach me how to manipulate fire!"

"I want to watch the waterbenders and see how waterbending differs from the Morphix!" Aisha enthused.

The bending demonstration was to be held in the arena where duels and battles were usually held, with stands all around for an audience. The Winx were familiar with this place, having been at Alfea for four years and used that arena whenever they trained.

"But what about the earthbender?" asked Musa, referring to the blind girl, Toph. "Are they going to bring in rocks or something?"

"That's true," Bloom said, as she ruminated on it. "Perhaps we should suggest a change of place to the headmistress, don't you think? Perhaps they could have it in the grounds?"

"But where would the fairies sit? They would be furious if they can't watch the entire demonstration."

"Then use magic!" Stella exclaimed. "Use magic to erect stands all around! It is that simple, isn't it?"

The Winx headed to the headmistress's office but stopped outside as they heard someone talking to the headmistress.

"You want a bending demonstration, I'll give you one! I'm Toph Bei Fong, the greatest earthbender in the world, after all! But I can't bend in your arena because it isn't made of earth or metal! You don't think I can just do with a few rocks, do you? I can do so much better than that and I would just like to show all those lily-livered fairies just how much I can do!" said a voice the Winx didn't recognise.

"Okay, okay, calm down, Miss Bei Fong," came Headmistress Faragonda's voice. "We will have the demonstration out in the grounds of Alfea and near the lake, so that it'll be easy for the waterbenders as well! Thank you for suggesting, Miss Bei Fong."

"You have visitors, Miss Faragonda," said Toph. "They're waiting right outside the door."

The Winx exchanged looks. Then Bloom knocked and entered.

"Good morning, headmistress," she greeted, before turning to the blind girl. "Good morning, Miss Bei Fong."

"Please, just call me Toph, the greatest earthbender in the world."

"Uh... sure... Anyway, Headmistress Faragonda, we actually came to suggest to you a change of place as well, just as Miss Bei- I mean, Toph has..."

"Greatest earthbender in the world," Toph interrupted.

"I'm sorry; just as Toph, the greatest earthbender in the world here has suggested. So since it's already settled, I guess we'll just leave," Bloom continued.

"See? Even the lily-livered fairies are aware of what I had just told you," said Toph. "See you all later at the demonstration. I'm outta here."

News got around Alfea fast about the change of location and the teachers rushed to the newly-selected spot and started erecting stands. The newly-chosen spot was a strategic one near the lake.

"What did that Toph call us earlier, anyway?" Musa said to the Winx, as they made their way down to the bending demonstration which was starting in twenty minutes. "Lily-something fairies?"

"Oh don't worry about it, I heard that earthbender's really full of herself and she goes around calling people all sorts of nicknames she made up herself," Roxy, who was with them, said. "She was the Avatar's earthbending teacher, you know, and she used to call him- still calls him 'Twinkletoes'. And the Water Tribe girl whom I heard is the Avatar's girlfriend has been given the nickname of 'Sugar Queen'. Her poor brother has gotten many more."

"She's so vain, who does she think she is?" Stella snapped.

"The greatest earthbender in the world?" Aisha guessed, before they burst into laughter.

"We'll, at least I prefer her to that Fire Nation princess. What was her name again? Azul-something?"

"Azula," said Tecna. "Yeah, she does seem like your typical Cloudtower witch, doesn't she?"

"I heard she's quite a good firebender," Roxy said. "All those stuff you heard about her last night, a firebending prodigy and an unmatched master, they're actually quite true. Well, I haven't actually seen her bend yet, but everyone's looking forward to it."

"They're all younger than us, but already masters? It isn't a fair universe, is it?" Bloom smiled.

"We'll, that's also because they started at a young age," Roxy explained. "I read somewhere that unlike magic, bending can begin at a very young age; three to four, it's possible."

The Winx arrived at the spot of the demonstration and took front-row seats. They were lucky to find good ones as many had already been taken by some of the new Zuko-fan girls, who wanted to see more of the scowling fire prince. To the Winx's delight, the Specialists had been invited to the demonstration as well."

Headmistress Faragonda and the General Iroh walked to the centre and faced the eager audience. "Good morning, fairies of Alfea!" the headmistress greeted. "As I've promised you yesterday, there will be a bending demonstration today! The location had been changed at the last moment because of a few... er... minor complications. Now, I would like to invite General Iroh to say a few words about the art of bending!"

The fairies applauded as the headmistress returned to her seat in the stands and the general stepped up. "I shall begin with waterbending and follow the Avatar cycle. Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything. The moon is the source of power in waterbending, and the original waterbenders learned by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides. The Water Tribes are the only people who did not learn bending from an animal, though the Moon and Ocean Spirits took the form of koi fish near the beginning of the Avatar World.

"Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. The first earthbenders, Oma and Shu, learned the art from badgermoles, just as our great Toph Bei Fong also did. Humans first learned earthbending by observing and imitating the geokinetic powers of badgermoles that naturally inhabit the mountains in what is now Earth Kingdom territory. According to a legend, known widely as "The Legend of the Two Lovers", two star-crossed lovers named Oma and Shu, who hailed from separate villages that were at war with each other, learned the art from these creatures so that they could meet within the mountain that divided them. To make sure no one could ever find them, they used their new abilities to create a labyrinth of tunnels inside the mountain which only they could navigate. One day, after many meetings in the series of passageways, the man did not come to see his lover, as he had died, a casualty of the villages' quarrel. His lover showcased a devastating assault of her powers and ultimately proclaimed the feud over. Then, the villages collaborated to construct a city, Omashu, in their honor. The pathways they made by earthbending became known as the Cave of Two Lovers."

"Aww, that's so romantic!" Flora sighed.

"Fire is the element of power," continued General Iroh. "The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy to drive and achieve what they want. However, the recently militaristic Fire Nation twisted this into firebending being fueled by rage, hate, and anger. Firebending draws its power from the sun, and the first human firebenders derived their firebending techniques from the dragons."

"Did you hear that?" Bloom enthused to the Winx. "From the dragons! Just like how I did!"

"Firebending was originally learned from the sacred dragons that had once populated their land. The first people to learn from the dragons were the Sun Warriors. In the remains of their once great civilization, Prince Zuko and Avatar Aang discovered that firebending represents energy and life, not rage and anger as the modern Fire Nation would have its citizens believe," the general went on. "As firebenders draw their power from the sun and other solar objects, such as comets. A solar eclipse has the potential to completely negate a firebender's power, revealing a direct connection between the sun and firebending."

"Solar eclipse!" Bloom and Stella breathed at the same time.

"Air is the element of freedom," General Iroh continued on to the next element. "The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor! Finding peace and freedom was the key to solve their flaws in life. As a result, all children born into the Air Nomads were benders. The first airbenders learned their art from the flying bison."

"How many more weird animals are they going to mention?" Roxy wondered aloud, interested.

"Airbenders first learned their bending from the flying bison, a sacred creature in the Air Nomad culture. The bison typically use their massive beaver-like tail to create gusts of wind and, as the name suggests, can fly without any visible means of propulsion. It is also said that the airbenders had borrowed the arrow mark from the flying bison for their traditional tattoos. These tattoos symbolize one's mastery of the airbending art, and are given to a practitioner once their training is complete. Unlike other nations, all Air Nomads are born airbenders, due to the high amount of spirituality infused in the culture.

"Now, lets move on to the advanced techniques of bending, shall we?" General Iroh flashed everyone a big smile. "We'll start with the techniques of waterbending. There are two, healing and bloodbending.

"Healing is a sub-skill of waterbending which involves healing wounds by redirecting energy paths or chi throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. In the Northern Water Tribe, this ability is the only aspect of waterbending taught to female waterbenders, due to the traditionally patriarchal culture of the tribe. It is not known to what extent the Northern Water Tribe teaches healing to male waterbenders.

"Bloodbending is a specialised technique within the art of waterbending that allows a waterbender to hydrokinetically take hold of the various fluids contained within a living organism's body and then manipulate them to control the movement of their intended target. The technique is revered as the darkest and deadliest sub-skill of any of the bending arts. The technique was discovered by a young waterbender named Hama while she was detained in a prison designed by the Fire Nation specifically to hold waterbenders. During her detainment, she concluded that all life contains water, and proceeded to develop the knowledge and skills of the art by practicing on elephant rats. The forms and styles used by bloodbenders are very similar to how a puppeteer controls a marionette, in particular the hand shape and movements. Whereas waterbending uses flowing motions with the arms, bloodbending seems to require a more rigid and abrupt form of movement, further highlighting how different it is from the primary waterbending forms and its other sub-skill, Healing. Due to its extreme nature, only a handful of waterbenders have demonstrated the ability to bloodbend. The technique is deemed by most waterbenders to be a dark art and is rarely used in combat. The complexity and sophistication required to perform the art usually only allows for its use during a full moon, when a waterbender's power is at its absolute peak.

"Next, metalbending, a sub-skill of earthbending. Metalbending is a specialised sub-skill of earthbending that allows an earthbender to ferrokinetically bend processed metal in a similar fashion to bending regular earth. The technique was invented by Toph Bei Fong after Xin Fu and Master Yu captured and transported her in a metal cage, which she metalbent and subsequently escaped.

"Seismic sense. It is a sub-skill that constitutes for physical sense. This skill enables earthbenders to detect vibrations in the ground to perceive objects, people, and other aspects of their environment, essentially acting as sonar, but through the earth. As the badgermoles were the original earthbenders, they were the first users of seismic sense. Naturally blind, these creatures used this ability to navigate their dark world.

The blind Toph Bei Fong was the first known human practitioner of this technique, developing the sense at a young age by learning from the badgermoles and using it to perfect a form of earthbending different than the normal technique. Later, she perfected her seismic sense to such an advanced degree that she could detect the slightest of movement changes, thus using the skill as her method to explore the world, and developing a technique that serves as a way of lie detection. This heightened sense of awareness is at the foundation of Metalbending, as Toph's sense allowed her to feel the unpurified earth materials that were still present in the metal."

"That's awesome! Bending metal must be really cool!" Timmy said. "And this weird earth sense! It's illogical, but really exciting!"

"In firebending, there is lightning generation," continued the esteemed general. "There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang. Positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning. Lightning, also known as the "cold-blooded fire", is very dangerous, even among firebenders, and only a few powerful firebenders are capable of generating it.

"With lightning generation, there is also lightning redirection, which was invented by me after observing the waterbenders. If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach. The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi. From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly. You may wish to try a physical motion, to get a feel for the pathways' flow."

"Whoa, lightning! Boy, do I want to learn that!" Bloom enthused.

"Airbenders can fly with air gliders by controlling the air currents," continued General Iroh. "And they can also run as fast as the wind and have the divine ability of halting air. Now, shall we begin with the demonstration?"

The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. Katara stepped out and began doing some waterbending exercises with water she drew from the lake, mostly the basics. The fairies craned their necks to see. Once she was finished with the exercises, she proceeded on to show the fairies how water can be turned to ice or steam and how waterbending is used in combat. Alfea had already set up obstacles for the demonstration and Katara willingly demonstrated how to take down opponents with waterbending. The fairies 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed.

Next, Katara demonstrated healing by healing a wounded cat. And finally, she was to demonstrate bloodbending, which she made clear to the audience that she hated and despised, but still had to do it. Professor Palladium had taken care of this. He had conjured up clones, very much like humans, but they were made from magic and Katara bloodbent them, much to the horror of the watching fairies.

After that, Toph appeared and began demonstrating earthbending, in all it's glory. She then bent metal stuff out of some of the fairies' bags. Some scrap metal had been prepared and Toph ripped these to pieces without showing any mercy. She then showed earthbending in combat along with metalbending.

Once Toph had returned to her seat, Zuko came up, much to the delight of the fairies. He displayed his firebending abilities and redirected lightning that had been part of the set-up for the demonstration. Half of Alfea instantly fell in love with him. Uncle Iroh was next, and he showed his skills as the Dragon of the West, and created lightning, which simply amazed all the girls.

"They'll see what firebending is all about when they see me," muttered Azula to herself as she got up. As she started firebending, the fairies' eyes widened, especially Bloom's, to see that Azula's fire as blue.

"Oh my, she is a real prodigy! Look at how agile she is!" Aisha said.

Azula was showing them firebending in combat and proceeded on to lightning generation. She was perfect. And then, once her lightning was perfect, she shot it straight into the stands, missing one of the fairies at the back by an inch. The fairy was appalled and so was everyone. Smirking slightly, Azula returned to her seat.

Aang was next. He showed them airbending and flying as well as running as fats as the wind before he demonstrated his ability to control the four elements. And that concluded the bending demonstration.

"Did you see what Azula did?" Bloom gasped, as the she and the Wnx were walking back to their rooms. Just then, someone brushed shoulders with her and she turned to see the Fire Nation princess throwing a smirk in her direction.

"Boy, do I really hate her," seethed Bloom.

**Sorry if you found this boring with all the explanations! **

** Please review!**

** I do not own Winx Club or Avatar: The Last Airbender**.


	3. Totally Depressing

The school was too pink. Lessons were so boring. The girls were too girly. They didn't do anything else but study, hang out with boys, chat with each other, giggle, talk about the latest fashions and train. And their training... there's no need to elaborate.

Mai sighed to herself, wondering how she had gotten herself into this. She should have known fairies were so not going to be interesting. What was she thinking? Agreeing to come to Magix? The only good thing was that Zuko was around.

Mai walked at normal speed to the arena, where she, Ty Lee, Suki and Sokka were to demonstrate their abilities. Everyone knew they were non-benders and the fairies of Alfea had demanded they show them what being a warrior was all about. Specialists would be attending this time, on a field trip to the fairy school. Mai could easily predict the crowd's reaction when the warriors demonstrated their skills, and she yawned as she thought about it.

There were also Alfea fairies who were trying to get to know her better, which annoyed her slightly. The fairies also found her annoying at times, with her forever-bored countenance. Some admired her from afar, how flawless her hair was, and some were amused at how she found everything so boring. Those who wanted to get to know her were just curious, and claimed she was a 'stuck-up' after exchanging a few words with her. Mai couldn't care less.

Then there was those fairies. What were they called again? Believe-something. Apparently they were major fairies, really powerful ones. Ty Lee found it interesting and couldn't wait to see them demonstrate their abilities but Mai couldn't be bothered. When they do their demonstration, she would just watch. But those Believe-something fairies were always trying to start a conversation with her, as they were also teachers and were supposed to make the guests feel welcomed.

Mai arrived at the arena, where she met Ty Lee outside. The acrobat was bubbling with excitement. "I can't wait to show them my cartwheels and backflips! And chi-blocking!"

"Ty Lee, the fairies can also do cartwheels and backflips," Mai said, expressionlessly.

The acrobat's face fell. "Really?" she asked. "How do you know?"

"They have a class called 'Magical Gym' where they learn gymnastics and dancing. Aren't you taking that class as well?"

"Well, yes, but we haven't actually begun our lessons yet, so I don't know anything about it," replied Ty Lee. "Come on, Mai, let's go in."

The two girls entered the arena and took their seats in the front row, near the teachers. The stands in the arena were packed with Alfea fairies, Redfountain Specialists and some important-looking people from the Fortress of Light council. They were the ones who had suggested this visit, as far as Mai knew.

The headmistress of Alfea walked to the centre of the arena and turned to face the audience. So far, this lady was the only person in Alfea whom Mai didn't find annoying. The headmistress must've known about her, as she once overheard her and Uncle Iroh discussing something about Mai.

"Welcome, honoured guests from the Four Nations, esteemed Fortress of Light council members, Redfountain teachers and Specialists, Alfea teachers and fairies. Yesterday, every fairy was treated to a bending demonstration by our honoured bender guests and today, is a chance for our non-bender guests to be in the limelight! First of all, to all Redfountain Specialists, allow me to do the introductions! First up, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe! A Water Tribe warrior!" The headmistress gestured for Sokka to come forwards, rather unnecessarily indeed, for the Water Tribe boy with his warrior wolf tail was already marching forwards, with his boomerang and space sword. He had been flashing his weapons to all Alfea fairies since they landed in Magix and basked in all the attention. He had not revealed that his space sword was called what it was as it was made from meteorite and he had left the fairies of Alfea to ponder why. Many had also fallen in love with him just as they had with Zuko, and begged him to show them how to use a boomerang. Mai rolled her eyes.

The warriors were to show off their skills together and fight one another, so Sokka didn't begin anything. Headmistress Faragonda turned to Suki. "Suki, a Kyoshi warrior!" The Kyoshi warrior leader walked forwards, dressed in her uniform, complete with her face paint and fans. Mai still remembered wearing those clothes, which were so girly and wondering how anyone could fight in them. She was quite certain the Redfountain Specialists thought the same, as she could see them whisper and grinned with their buddies. The headmistress turned next to Mai and announced, "Mai, daughter of a Fire Nation noble, skilled at the art of throwing knives!"

Quite a number of Redfountain Specialists applauded at this. Mai sighed again. Were they that predictable? She got up and walked towards the headmistress, keeping on her bored countenance. She sighed again as she reached the headmistress. She looked over at Ty Lee. The acrobat was already on her feet, ready to go when the headmistress called her.

"Ty Lee, also a Kyoshi warrior, she joined the group of female warriors and taught them chi-blocking, which you will soon see and learn what it is! She's also a martial artist and an acrobat!"

The aforementioned acrobat cartwheeled perfectly towards the headmistress. The crowd, mostly Alfea fairies, applauded. Ty Lee bowed to the audience gracefully, like she always did to Azula, making the said Fire Nation princess scowl a little.

"Did you see her cartwheel? It was perfect!" enthused Layla, in her place in the audience, beside Nabu. "I think it's better than mine!"

"Well, Layla, she is an acrobat," said Tecna, surfing the net on her palmtop, looking up chi-blocking.

"And now, these four talented warriors from the Four Nations will demonstrate to you their abilities! And then they will spar a volunteer from Redfountain each! But of course, that isn't till later!" Headmistress Faragonda returned to her seat.

Sokka unsheathed his space sword and the Alfea fairies gasped. Suki opened up her fans and they both took their stances. And then they began duelling each other, and the Specialists were intrigued to see how agile Suki still can be despite the outfit she was wearing.

Ty Lee jumped in and fought Suki next, while Mai took on Sokka. The crowd watched with wide eyes as Ty Lee hit Suki with a series of quick jabs and the Kyoshi warrior crumpled. Suki turned her head a little to look up at Ty Lee and the two warriors grinned at each other. Ty Lee helped Suki to her feet as Katara came rushing up to heal the Kyoshi warrior so that she may continue the demonstration.

Sokka tried to run Mai through with his sword, but she jumped and dodged deftly. The crowd 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed at this, and Mai just couldn't help sighing to herself a few times. She finally released a hail of flying daggers at the Water Tribe warrior, pinning him against the wall of the arena. The crowd gasped and Mai sighed again.

Suki still battled Ty Lee, dodging out of the way every time the acrobat attempted to chi-block her. The crowd roared their approval at Suki's agility, while others' attention was redirected to Sokka and Mai, who were back in action again.

The demonstration lasted for about half-an hour, and then the sparring match commenced. A muscular blonde Specialist walked up and chose to spar Mai.

They stood at both ends of the arena, facing each other. The boy drew out his sword, which, in Mai's opinion, was no match for Sokka's and charged towards her, ready to attack. The crowd roared their encouragement. Mai deftly kicked the sword out of his hand, disarming him. She released more knives, pinning him to the wall, just like she had done to Sokka. She sighed to herself once more. "Victory is boring," she muttered to herself under her breath.

Next was Sokka and Sky. There was quite a clash, an equally matched duel. Every time Sokka attempted to use his boomerang, Sky would just jump over it.

"Go Sky!" cheered Bloom in the audience.

Sokka flung his boomerang as he was parrying Sky's attacks. The Specialist had quite forgotten that the boomerang would always come back and when it did, it struck him in the back of the head. The Winx Club and their boyfriends let out a collective gasp, as did the audience. Sky was taken to the side, where Katara instantly saw to him.

A student wizard volunteered to take on Ty Lee next, only to be chi-blocked in the first round, and unable to use his magic. Suki didn't have much problem either defeating the next volunteer.

"Yeah! You so totally kicked their butts!" Toph enthused, as they walked back to the apartment that had been prepared for them. "Though, Sokka, I think you could've done better."

"Those guys sure are under-trained," said Suki. "Do you know that their head of discipline has suggested we train them? Can you imagine that? They're all older than we are!"

Mai sighed again. Victory sure was boring. Life at Alfea was so depressing.

**If this chapter sucked, just tell me. I didn't really plan for this, actually...** **  
**


	4. Halloween Special (Compiled)

The halls and corridors of Alfea were empty and lit only by the torches on the walls. It was almost midnight on the 30th of October. Down one of the corridors walked a girl who was headed for the apartment she and her friends shared. She was one of the expatriates and so was allowed to wander the corridors at night.

Katara entered the apartment she shared with the rest of the Gaang, to find them still awake, watching that strange, thin rectangular box the fairies of Alfea called a 'television' or 'TV'. The first time the Gaang had entered the apartment, they had been shocked to see a dark mirror standing there like that. Sokka had discovered another box, rectangular as well, but much, much smaller, on the couch, but it had all sorts of buttons on it. He had pressed random ones but nothing happened to the mirror/television but in the end, one red one at the top right corner of the odd little box turned on the mirror. The Gaang were appalled at this discovery and had immediately consulted the fairy of technology who slept in an apartment with her friends just a few doors away from theirs. Her name was... Techno? Tech-something... Tecna! She was part of the group of fairies who called themselves the Winx.

"Hey, guess what?" Katara enthused to the Gaang. She seemed really excited about something. Holding up an envelope, she proceeded to explain everything to the Gaang. "Alfea is throwing a Halloween party! They've never had it before, but they thought since we were here, they wanted to throw it in our honour! Can you believe that?"

The looks on their faces told Katara that the Gaang hadn't understood what she had been talking about. "What's hello-win?" Toph asked, not looking at Katara.

Katara sighed. "Sorry, I forgot. It's not hello-win, Toph, but Halloween. H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N," she spelled it out. "It is also known as 'All Hallows' Eve or 'All Saints' Eve or Samhain."

"Sow-what?" Toph asked, interrupting Katara.

"Samhain," responded Katara. "It's a holiday and celebration observed on the 31st of October every year. It's also like a religious celebration. Usually on Halloween, people will disguise themselves or wear costumes, and go trick-or-treating! That means they go from house to house saying 'Trick or treat?' to ask for treats such as candy or money. The trick is usually a threat to perform mischief on the property of the homeowner if no treat is given!"

"Sounds fun!" Toph enthused.

"Toph has a destructive nature," said Zuko solemnly.

"So all we have to do is wear a costume and attend the party which will be held tomorrow night!" Katara continued. "Sounds like fun, doesn't it? And it can also help our relationships with the fairies, plus there's going to be a lot of fun stuff! We should go!"

"I guess we don't have a choice, do we?" Aang said.

"Yeah. Uncle will definitely push me to attend this party," agreed Zuko.

"If I get to trash someone's home should they not give me a 'treat', I'm all for it," smiled Toph.

"Sorry Toph, that's where the fun ends," giggled Katara. "We'll be having the party in Alfea, so there's no Trick-or-treating from house to house, but rather from fairy to fairy."

"So I still get to kick some fairy's butt? I'm still in!"

The Gaang laughed.  
...

"Aang! Have you seen Sokka and Toph?" Katara asked, feeling rather anxious. The duo had not been seen since that morning, when they both claimed they were heading to Magix to get some stuff. What stuff, they didn't say and didn't want to. The Alfea Halloween party was starting in three hours and Katara was getting into her Fire Nation outfit, as she had no idea what else to wear. The Gaang had decided to dress up as Fire Nation citizens once more.

"No, have you?" the Avatar responded, tying his headband around his head. "I was just about to ask you the same question." Just then, Aang's voice dropped an octave as he leaned towards Katara. "Have you seen what Zuko is wearing?" he whispered in her ear, a grin spreading across his face.

"No, but from your expression, I can only guess it's something out of the ordinary or extremely ridiculous," Katara smiled.

Aang suppressed his laughter to avoid Zuko from overhearing his conversation with Katara on the latter's Halloween costume. "It's both out of the ordinary and extremely ridiculous!" Aang laughed silently. "He got the costume from one of his Alfea fan girls, one of the fairies! It's those clothes we saw the Redfountain boys wearing!"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "I thought they were okay," she replied. "It's not that ridiculous, is it? Plus, it makes them look smart."

"Yes, but in Zuko it doesn't!" laughed Aang.

"What's the joke?" the Firelord asked, as he entered the living room where Katara and Aang sat, discussing his Halloween costume and how ridiculous he looked in it.

Katara had to suppress her laughter as well upon seeing Zuko. He did look funny in the Specialist costume, and very clumsy as well. However, he handled the sword which came with the costume very well.

"Nice costume, Zuko," Katara complimented, smiling.

"Ugh! You call this nice?" Zuko raged. "Uncle told me I should try to get along with the Alfea girls, so I just wore this so as not to offend her! Aargh! Why did I even sign up for this ? I never asked to come to this school!"

...

"I wonder if that firebender princess is showing up for this Halloween party," Bloom said, with disdain, as she slipped on her Halloween costume, a traditional Fire Nation dress she had acquired from Stella. For Halloween, most of the Alfea fairies were going as a citizen from one of the nations in the Avatarverse. Bloom had decided to go as a firebender and pretend to be a real one with her Dragon's flame.

"I heard she never misses a good party and usually dominates it," Flora replied, as she got into her own Earth Kingdom outfit, one very similar to that of the Kyoshi Warriors'. Flora had originally wanted the uniform, but Stella had altered it into something she called 'much more fashionable'. "Obviously the girl with the flying daggers and the cheerful acrobat would be joining her. They're her best friends, or so I heard."

"Well, she doesn't deserve friends like them," Bloom said, tying her hair up into a topknot. "Especially the cheerful acrobat. She seems like the type to be with the Gaang, or so they call themselves. I almost laughed out loud when they told me they were called that! Especially when I learned it originates from the Avatar's name, Aang!"

Just then, Tecna and Musa entered the room. Tecna had decided to go as a robot while Musa wanted to be an angel of music. Her angel costume was close to perfection, with it's wings and her halo. She clutched her flute in her right hand. Headmistress Faragonda had requested her to play a few songs before at the party, and the fairy of music had been practicing spooky Halloween songs for the whole week.

"Wow, you two look great!" Flora complimented. "Tecna, you look so... stoic!"

"Thank you, Miss Flora," Tecna said, in a robot voice. "You look nice, too, Miss Flora."

Flora, Bloom and Musa burst into laughter. "You sound great, Tec!" Bloom laughed.

Tecna grinned. "Thanks! I really worked hard on the voice the whole week! Now, I'd better stop grinning or else I'll be less like a robot!"

"Ta-dah! How do I look?" Aisha asked, as she made her sudden entrance. She was dressed as a waterbender, her outfit the exact replica of Katara's. she even carried a gourd of water.

"Nice, Aisha!" exclaimed Musa. "You look exactly like that waterbender girl, Katara! You didn't happen to steal this from her, did you?" At the look on Aisha's face, Musa burst into giggles. "Just kidding! I hope no one will recognise you as Katara this evening!"

"For the first time ever, I'm ready!" Stella announced, as she pranced into the room, wearing an airbender dress, one very much like Avatar Yangchen's. "I found this design on the Internet, it used to be worn by one of the previous Avatars in the life cycle. Her name was Young-churn, if I'm not mistaken."

Tecna glanced at the time on her phone. "One more hour, girls! You'd better hurry!" There was urgency in her voice, and she had lost her robot one. The girls laughed at this, and Tecna, realising what and how she had just spoken, laughed as well.

...

"Parties! I love parties!" Ty Lee flounced around the apartment she shared with Mai and Azula, in her circus clothes. She had decided to go to the Halloween party as a real acrobat and had even seeked Headmistress Faragonda's advice to perform an acrobatic show. Mai sat in a corner, in her usual clothes, not bothering to change, sighing to herself as Azula got into her Fire Nation style, witch-themed Halloween costume.

"You look great, Azula, just like a real Fire Nation witch!" Ty Lee enthused.

"I do, don't I?" The Fire princess gazed at herself in the mirror. "I'll definitely be the centre of attraction tonight! I'm sure all the Specialists they invited will flock to me! Well then, I certainly hope they didn't invite any peasants!"

"What about that Bloom girl?" Ty Lee asked, her smile slowly fading.

"The fire fairy?" Azula asked, smoothing her bangs with her fingers. "Don't worry, I think I know how to handle her. She's going to regret she ever existed. I'm not going to have another firebender more powerful than me existing!"

"But she's not a firebender!" Ty Lee protested. "Yes, but she's still born of fire," Azula responded, calmly. "And that fire will soon be extinguished."

Azula had no idea whom she was facing.

...

"Come on, socks, hurry up!" Toph called to her Water Tribe friend, as he tagged along behind her, carrying a few bags. Though there were only five or six bags, he was panting and puffing as though they weighed a ton. Toph carried a few packages and seemed tired as well, but she didn't say anything. Maybe because they just weighed lighter.

"Wait... Toph!" Sokka puffed. "We have got everything, haven't we?" asked Toph.

Sokka tried his best to nod. "I suppose," he said. "Let the party begin!"  
...

Alfea had been heavily decorated with Halloween decorations such as eerie lighting and Jack-o-lanterns. The fairies of Alfea, dressed up in all sorts of costumes, including costumes from the Four Nations, were all convinced they were going to have the time of their lives.

The party started at eight, and there was enough food for everyone. The fairies of Alfea danced with the Specialists from Redfountain to some spooky Halloween dance music, while the witches from Cloudtower watched from afar, jealousy strong in their hearts as they saw the fairies they hate dance with the Specialists they wanted.

Stella was partying hard, dancing in her Avatar Yangchen costume. She didn't notice a certain boy dressed in clothes of red and dark brown with a headband walk up to her until she accidentally stepped on his toes.

"Ow!" Aang cried out.

"I'm so sorry!" Stella apologised. She turned and upon seeing that it was Avatar Aang, she beamed. "Hey, you must be the Avatar, right, that airbender!"

"Yeah, that's me," Aang smiled at the fairy of the sun and the moon. "I just couldn't help noticing that you decided to dress up as one of my past lives for Halloween!"

"Yeah, Avatar Yangchen, right?" Stella responded, her smile widening. "Do you think it's nice? I really like it!"

"Um, yeah, you got most of the details right, but you're missing the arrow on your forehead," Aang pointed out. "I mean, it's not that I want you to tattoo it on or anything, but couldn't you have just worn a fake arrow? Because... well, if you wanna dress up as an airbender, do dress fully. It is considered a disgrace if you don't."

Stella fixed the young Avatar with a look of surprise. "Really? Oh, I'm so sorry!" With that, Stella snapped her fingers and a part of her hair cleared to be replaced with an airbender tattoo.

"Magic," Aang grinned sheepishly. "I almost forgot."

"Wanna dance?" Stella asked.

Aang glanced around to look for Katara. He found her not far off, watching him. She was standing with another one of the Winx, the one with curly brown hair. Katara noticed him looking for her and knew what he was trying to say. She smiled and nodded.

"Sure! I'll show you a few Fire Nation moves!" Aang said, turning back to Stella.

As Aang and Stella did the 'Phoenix Flight' and 'Camelephant Strut', Azula was teaming up with the witches. She discovered that she liked the trio of witches who called themselves the 'Trix' best as they seemed to hate the Winx Club more than the other witches did.

"So, tell me, what has the Winx done to you to make you hate them so much?" Azula inquired of the Trix. She was just asking a few simple questions, but her presence, even to the Trix, was uncomfortable and unpleasant. She looked as if she were about to conquer you at any moment. The Trix felt like they were being interrogated.

"They won many times against us and stole the Specialists we wanted!" seethed Icy, but she didn't seem too scary at that moment; her usual witch aura dampened by the presence of Azula.

"And they defeated all our allies as well," huffed Darcy. "We've been at each other's necks for more than four years! All we want to do is to get rid of them for once and for all!"

"We've tried so many ways to get rid of them but they always end up winning instead," fumed Stormy. "It's frustrating."

Azula smirked. "I wish to eliminate one of them as well. She is the red-haired named Bloom, the fire fairy," said the Fire princess. "Everyone honors her for her renowned Dragon's Flame, even my own friends and enemies and I hate it! I am the most powerful firebender ever, and no one can change that!"

"What are you planning?" Icy asked.

"An Agni Kai," Azula replied, before proceeding to explain to the Trix all about an Agni Kai.

...

"Suki! Have you seen Sokka and Toph?" Katara called out to her friend as the Kyoshi warrior passed Katara and Aisha, who had been discussing waterbending tactics. "I haven't seen them since this morning! Do you think something has happened to them?" Katara was very worried.

"Sokka and Toph?" Layla echoed. "You mean, the Water Tribe warrior, your brother, and that blind earthbender? Oh, don't worry yourself, Katara, if they get lost, we can always track them down. Don't forget, you're in a world of magic now."

"They're probably late or something," Suki added to console Katara. "Maybe Sokka couldn't decide what to wear and perhaps Toph just doesn't want to come! Don't worry yourself, Katara."

...

"So, you're Mai?"

Mai turned to see the fairy if technology standing a few feet away from her. She nodded.

"You must be Tecna, one of the Winx," the Fire Nation girl responded.

"Yeah, I am," Tecna said. "I've noticed that you're constantly bored. And you don't really show your real feelings to many."

"You don't need to be a genius to see that, I guess," Mai sighed. "Yes, that is basically my character, so live with it." She scowled slightly.

"I wasn't here to contradict you on that," said Tecna, leaning against the wall beside Mai, as the two of them watched the dancers have the time of their lives on the dance floor in Alfea's courtyard. "I just wanted to tell you that you're not alone. I find it hard, too, to express my true feelings and emotions. Everyone is saying that this robot outfit brings out who I really am. But that's not me. I even have trouble expressing myself to my boyfriend and telling him that I love him."

"It was hard for me to, in the beginning," Mai replied, blushing slightly as she thought about Zuko. "But it's also hard for me to believe you're the type who doesn't express your feelings well. You seem pretty outgoing like the rest of the Winx."

"Well, that's because you don't know me very well yet, I guess," Tecna replied. "You know, there was once..." And Tecna proceeded to tell Mai all about her adventure in the crystal labyrinth and her choice at the end.

...

"So you're Mai's boyfriend?" Bloom asked the Fire Nation prince.

Zuko nodded. "You're a firebender, too, aren't you?"

Bloom laughed. "No! I'm a fire fairy! We're quite different from firebenders. You create fire using your chi. We expel fire using our magical energy. And we have means and ways and people to help us get more powerful. The Great Dragon's fire created the universe and my home planet, Domino, was its last resting place. That's why I possess the Dragon's Flame. It is the strongest force in the magical dimension but I can't use it all as I haven't harness it properly yet."

"That's interesting," Zuko replied. "In the Avatarverse, the first firebenders were the dragons, but until recently I thought they were extinct. But I was fortunate enough to meet Ran and Shaw, the last two of their kind."

"Oh, look! My friend, Musa is about to begin her performance! Let's go watch!"

Zuko hurried along with Bloom, not really wanting to watch a performance. But uncle had been constantly reminding him to be friendly with all the Alfea fairies and it has been made easy for him thanks to the Specialist costume he was wearing.

...

Musa gazed at the crowd that had gathered at the raised platform, on which she was going to perform some of her favourite Halloween pieces for the flute. The audience was cheering her on, so she raised the flute to her lips and played from memory.

The music was so haunting and spooky that it sent chills down some f their spines. The Jack-o-lanterns flickered, creating an even more eerie atmosphere.

Musa's performance lasted for about fifteen minutes and she got off the platform to cheers and applause from her audience whom she incessantly thanked. As she was making her way across the courtyard towards Riven, who was also walking towards her, she found her way blocked by Uncle Iroh.

"I hope you don't mind, young fairy, but let me compliment you on your performance earlier!" Uncle Iroh beamed at Musa. "You have an amazing talent!"

Musa smiled. "Thanks," she said, blushing. Just then, Riven came up to the two of them.

"Greetings, General Iroh," Riven said, inclining his head at the general as a sign of greeting and respect. "This is my girlfriend, Musa, the fairy of music, one of the Winx."

"Oh, the fairy of music!" Uncle Iroh enthused. "I suppose you play all sorts of instruments, my dear?"

"Of course!" Musa exclaimed. "The piano, the flute..."

"You don't happen to have heard of a Tsungi Horn?" Uncle asked.

"Is it an instrument from the Avatarverse?" Musa was excited. "Show it to me!"

...

"Actually, I have to say, it's a pretty good thing you got back your feelings and emotions," Mai told Tecna, after the latter had ended her story of the crystal labyrinth.

"Yeah, to be logical all the time? I don't think I could've handled it," Tecna replied.

Just then, the lights started flickering. The two of them looked up in surprise. "What's going on? Alfea doesn't usually experience electrical problems," the fairy of technology stated.

The rest of the school seemed to have noticed the blinking lights as well. The lighted windows were now flickering. Everyone looked up at the school. Some were horrified, others were wondering if this was someone's idea of a Halloween joke and others were waiting to see what would happen next.

All of a sudden, everyone heard a roar coming from the west side of the school and turned to see a zombie dressed in rags walking towards them. It made a weird clanking noise. Many Alfea fairies screamed and ran out of the way. The zombie headed straight for Roxy and picked her up and clanked off with her.

"Help me!" Roxy cried out, struggling against the surprisingly strong grip of the zombie. She realised that the zombie was made of metal. She smiled to herself when no one was looking.

"Help me!" she continued to cry out.

"I'm here, Roxy!" Bloom called, ready with her spells.

"No, Bloom!" Roxy called back. "Don't blast it! Follow it! I have a feeling it's taking me somewhere!"

A whole group of people followed the zombie which clanked up a flight of stairs and turned into Alfea. There was a hole in the centre of the corridor and down this hole the zombie leaped and landed a few feet below and continued walking with Roxy.

Bloom lead the group of people (a combination of Alfea students and visitors) down the hole. Suddenly, one of the girls screamed.

"There's something sucking on my face! Eek! Get it off! Get it off!" she screamed.

Aang recognised what it was and he reached up, tickled the small octopus-like thing and it came off. "It's a Pentapus," he informed Katara and Stella who were standing near him.

"What are those things doing in Alfea?" Stella asked. They had heard of Pentapi before, from the Avatarverse locals.

Aang was saved the trouble of answering when they were all covered in slime. "Ugh! almost all of them cried out at once. Bloom was covered in slime as well, but she continued through the tunnel under Alfea in pursue of Roxy. A strange thought entered her mind. Where were Headmistress Faragonda and the other teachers?

"I'm outta here!" cried one of the Alfea fairies.

"Me too!" cried another. A good number of them ran off, leaving the Gaang and the Winx along with Mai and Ty Lee, and Azula with the Trix, who were right behind.

"More Pentapi!" gasped Katara as she felt them crawling down her face. They had dropped from somewhere. Zuko and Bloom created fire while Stella held up a ball of light illuminating the place. Pentapi were everywhere, stuck to the walls of the tunnel.

In the distance, there was the faint clanking sound of the zombie.

"Which zombie clanks? This is ridiculous!" said Stella.

Everyone hurried on and were soon confronted by three ghouls. They were suspended in mid-air and screams issued from the mouths of some of the benders. Zuko attempted to firebend them when one of them spoke.

"We don't have to get all rough and violent, do we?"

Everyone was stunned. They recognised that voice! It was Professor DuFour!

"Guess the secret's over now," chuckled Headmistress Faragonda as she took of her ghoul cloak and ended the levitation spell.

"Sad. I was beginning to have some fun!" said Professor Wizgiz.

"What are you doing here?" Bloom asked. "Where's Roxy?"

"The zombie is about to eat her up," laughed Professor DuFour.

Everyone exchanged looks as the professors and headmistress returned to the entrance to the tunnel, chuckling.

"What is this?" Mai asked, scowling slightly.

The little party hurried on and finally came to a bend. They turned and found Roxy bound to a metal chair.

"Roxy, are you alright?" Bloom asked, concerned.

"I HAVE YOU ALL UNDER MY THUMB NOW!" boomed a voice behind them. They all turned to see the zombie glaring at them.

"Wait, I know that voice!" said Suki. "It's Melon Lord's voice!"

"Aw, shucks, Suki, did you have to spoil the fun?" Toph said as she metalbended the zombie head off. She was grinning widely.

"Toph!" Katara scolded. "You really frightened all of us, first with your sudden disappearance and then Roxy's kidnapping! Really, what are you going to do next, I'd like to know! And where's Sokka? Boy, do I want to give him a piece of my mind! He had a hand in all of this, too, right?"

"Actually, we all do," said Roxy, grinning sheepishly. "I agreed to help Toph pull this prank off. That's why I told Bloom not to blast the zombie. The teachers nearly gave us away!"

"SNEAK ATTAAAAAAAACK!" a voice suddenly yelled, as down the tunnel a figure came running towards them with his hand raised, looking as though he was about to chop them. Aang earthbended a boulder, blocking the tunnel momentarily before earthbending it back into the ground leaving Sokka half-flattened as the latter fell onto the ground.

"Sokka, sneak attacks don't work if you yell it out loud," Aang said. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

They hurried out of the tunnel and above ground. Toph remained in her zombie outfit, which she had out together by metalbending. Sokka was in his Wang Fire costume once more. The rest of the night was spent partying. Even Mai had to join in.


	5. Agni Kai (Compiled)

Azula had never been in the presence of another firebender more powerful than her except her father, Firelord Ozai. But now, here, at a school for fairies, she has finally found her match.

Bloom, in Azula's eyes, was a spoiled princess with too many friends. The Fire Nation princess had noticed a good many common characteristics between her and this Bloom of Domino. One, they were both princesses. Two, they both came from strong fire-based kingdoms. Three, they both had one sibling. The only difference being that Azula hated Zuko while Bloom loved her sister to death even though that particular sister was already dead. And there were many more.

Remarks and comments the Fire princess had heard from the teachers of the school and the fairies of Alfea as well as her own friends about how Bloom was a great fairy, destined for great things, will be close to invincible when she harnessed the full power of the Dragon's Flame; all these made Azula's blood boil.

I should get rid of her before she acquires such power, then I wouldn't have to worry about a rival, thought Azula. And so, like she always did, she informed Mai and Ty Lee, her closest friends about what she was planning to do.

"An Agni Kai?" asked Ty Lee. She seemed a little worried. "Do you think this is necessary, Azula?"

The Fire princess turned to glare at her friend, making the latter cower. "An Agni Kai would be able to determine who is the better firebender, Ty Lee," she snarled. "And why are you worrying? I'll only just scar her pretty face, that's all. She'll have immediate access to Zuko's Scarred Faces Club."

Ty Lee watched fearfully as Azula left the room. She turned to Mai. "Mai, don't you think we should stop her?" she asked.

"Just let her go. An Agni Kai between the Fire Nation Princess and the fairy of the Dragon's Flame. Don't you think it will be interesting? And I haven't seen anything interesting in the past few d-... years, I guess."

...

Azula walked briskly along the corridors of Alfea towards the Winx's apartment, looking important and high-and-mighty. She bumped into Zuko on the way.

"Looking for trouble again, Azula?" spat Zuko, upon seeing his sister. "And judging by the direction in which you're going, you're going to mess with the Winx."

Azula gave Zuko a death glare. "Don't you worry where I'm heading and what I'm gonna do, Zuzu. Just note, there will be a new member joining your club soon." And with that, Azula walked off, leaving Zuko to stare after her.

"You can never win, Azula!" he called. "They're fairies! You're just a bender!"

Azula reached the Winx's apartment and rapped hard on the door in a very important manner. It was answered by Flora, who, upon seeing the Fire princess, seemed rather small and meek.

"I would like to see your friend Bloom," Azula demanded, before striding into the living room, where the Winx sat, before Flora could even answer. All of them looked up.

"I'm Bloom," the fairy of the dragon's fire said, in a tone not any more polite than Azula's. Bloom knew the firebender hated her; for what reason, she had no idea. But now Azula had just walked in like she owned the place and demanded to see Bloom like she was suddenly the headmistress. Bloom did not take such nonsense. "What do you want?"

Azula's expression showed that she seemed bored. She rolled her eyes. "You mean, you haven't guessed? I challenge you to an Agni Kai!"

Bloom's eyes widened. She had heard of an Agni Kai before. And Agni Kais don't usually have good results. Come to think of it, they never have good results. For the loser, that is. But why... Azula just waltzed into their room and challenged Bloom to an Agni Kai... wasn't that strange?

"Why on earth..." Bloom began, but was cut right off by the princess.

"No buts!" she snapped. "Just a 'yes' or a 'no', you peasant!"

That got Bloom. She scowled at the firebender. "You want to fight? Fine! Let's have an Agni Kai! It will give me a great opportunity to wipe that smirk off your face!"

Azula continued smirking.

...

Bloom lay on her bed in her room, alone, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't believe she had just accepted a challenge from one of the Avatarverse's greatest firebenders. She was well aware of the fact that though she was the fairy of the dragon's flame, she hadn't harnessed its full power yet.

The door creaked open and Flora peered in. "Bloom, are you there?" she called. "Headmistress Faragonda wants to see you in her office. I think she got wind of your fight with Azula."

Bloom groaned as she got to her feet. She followed Flora out, wondering what the headmistress was going to say and how she was going to defeat Azula. Flora noticed her looking so down.

"Don't worry, Bloom," she consoled. "Azula seems powerful at times because she's got those two girls with her, Mai and Ty Lee. You're gonna be fighting her alone. She won't be so powerful, then."

Bloom turned to Flora. "Are you kidding me?" she said. "Azula is powerful, with Mai and Ty Lee or without them." They reached the headmistress office and entered when they were granted entrance.

"Bloom, I heard all about Azula's challenge and how you accepted it," the headmistress said, in a very stern voice.

"She was getting on my nerves, headmistress. She called me names then challenged me! Of course I would accept it!" replied Bloom.

The headmistress wore a grim expression. "I'm not going to lie to you, Bloom. You see, Magix's position in the galaxy is quite different from the Avatarverse. There is this comet which passes through Magix's skies once every 50 years, unlike the Avatarverse's; once every 100 years. They call it Sozin's Comet. It grants the firebenders extra power; it enhances their bending. The people of Magix have always ignored it, because it doesn't do anything for us.

Bloom, Azula isn't stupid. She would know better than to challenge a fairy. But 50 years has passed, and Sozin's Comet will be returning on the day you and Azula have agreed to fight an Agni Kai."

...

It was a dark and gloomy day and only one week before the fateful day of Sozin's Comet as well as Bloom's Agni Kai with Azula. The fairy of the dragon's flame was worried. Well, she wasn't before, but after seeing clips of firebenders bending during the comet on the web, she was beginning to worry.

"Oh, don't worry so much, Bloom," Stella had tried comforting her best friend. "The Agni Kai can only end when either firebender gets burnt or scarred, right? So, Azula won't kill you. So, don't worry!"

Bloom looked up to stare at Stella. "Oh, so being burnt or scarred is quite good?" Bloom asked. Stella looked slightly taken aback and considered what she had said. "Right. Sorry, Bloom," she apologised.

"Look on the bright side, Bloom," Tecna said. "Azula only challenged you because she suspected you might be more powerful than her. That's why she's so enraged. She'll be careful. And isn't it good enough to boost your confidence that the princess of the Fire Nation thinks you're more or about as much as powerful as her? You can do it, Bloom."

Bloom sighed. Just then, her cellphone beeped. She picked it up and checked the Caller ID. It was Sky. She hit the 'Answer' button, bracing herself torrent of shocked comments about to drown her.

"Hello, Sky."

"Bloom! I heard you accepted a challenge from Princess Azula of the Fire Nation! An 'Ate-me Kind'? Or something like that? As far as I know, it's a fire duel! What were you thinking? Why are you going to put your life at risk? Bloom, my dear, you know I can't afford to lose you. Why?"

Bloom sighed once more. "She called me a peasant, Sky! And if I were to back out, I would look like a coward! I had to accept it! And it's Agni Kai."

"Alright. I understand," Sky replied, even though he sounded like he just wanted to coax her out of this duel. "You should begin training, Bloom." He hung up.

...

Azula paced in the room she shared with Mai and Ty Lee. The two non-benders were sitting on their beds, just watching their friend pace up and down. Mai looked even gloomier than ever. She was probably much gloomier than the weather. Ty Lee looked worried.

"Ty Lee, please, don't look at me that way," Azula said. "I'll defeat Bloom, don't you worry. Sozin's Comet is coming to grant the firebenders immense power. Oh, how I wish I lived in this realm. That way I could have great power once every 50 years, instead of waiting for a 100 years."

Ty Lee cocked an eyebrow. Did Azula even know what she was talking about?

"I'll defeat her for once and for all! She will never rise from the ashes of her shame and humiliation!"

...

The courtyard of Alfea had never been this crowded. Every student in Alfea wanted to watch this battle, despite the headmistress's warnings that they should stay away, for fear of being burnt or hit by one of Bloom's spells. The teachers of Alfea were heavily against this Agni Kai but who were they to say against the wishes of the Fire Nation princess and one of their honoured guests? And they couldn't convince Bloom to withdraw, either. The Fortress of Light council had gotten wind of this battle and they had been interested and wanted to come round to Alfea to witness this fire vs. fire duel. They had sent along representatives.

Among the many spectators were none other than some of the honoured guests themselves. Katara and Aang were much more worried for Bloom than Azula. "Do you think this fairy can take on Azula? What if she gets burnt? Or killed? Aang, we have to be ready and we have to intervene if we see any signs of trouble," Katara worried.

Toph didn't feel worried, only slightly entertained. She looked up to this fairy's nerves of accepting Azula's challenge to have an Agni Kai on the day of Magix's Sozin's Comet when the fairy knew very well what she was going to face. Toph wasn't rooting for any of them, though she did secretly hope the fairy would make it out alive.

Suki stayed close to Sokka. "Do you think this fairy was wise to accept such a challenge?" she asked her boyfriend. "I mean, Sozin's Comet is coming in a matter of minutes and all, and we know very well how a firebender's fire looks like during the comet. Do you think this fairy can survive?"

"I think she had some nerves to accept my sister's challenge," came a familiar voice belonging to someone who was approaching them. Zuko walked up to them with Mai by his side. "I don't know whether we should worry too much; this fairy is quite well-known for her power of the dragon's flame in the magical dimension."

"Yeah, and Azula is the most-feared person besides your father in the Avatarverse and the only blue firebender!" replied Sokka. "Plus, she's evil. She will stop at nothing to vanquish Bloom. Then what? We're supposed to be honoured guests here, and we're not supposed to go around picking fights with the fairies of Alfea or anyone in this city!"

Zuko slammed his hand to his forehead. "You think Azula cares?" he responded. "She's living with the fear that she is not the greatest firebender anymore, and she's afraid she might no longer be Miss Perfect! And her fire..." Zuko looked up at the circle in the centre of the courtyard which was supposed the arena. "It's blue because she's fueled by hatred and greed. It doesn't come from the inside."

Mai sighed. "We can only hope," she said.

The doors of Alfea flew open and Bloom walked out. She made her way through the crowd and stood at one end of the arena. Out from another daughter emerged Azula, looking her most prim with her hair neatly groomed and up in the topknot it always was with her bangs framing her face on which there was a smirk. She pushed her way through the crowd and stood at the other end of the arena, directly opposite Bloom. Headmistress Faragonda watched worriedly from her place in the usual ceremonial balcony with the other teachers and conjured up a barrier in the shape of a dome, enclosing the arena so whatever spells or fire Bloom and Azula threw at each other wouldn't hurt the audience.

A wave of heat washed over the spectators as the darkening sky was suddenly lit up as a large comet, the largest they had ever seen, and also the slowest, crossed the sky from the distant horizon. It would last very long, the Specialists, who were also present, could tell. A hot breeze could be felt. Bloom watched Azula take a deep breath, reveling in the amount of energy the comet granted her. Bloom tried to do the same, and she could feel it. Though she wasn't a firebender, the comet did contribute the slightest to her powers. They weren't going to be enhanced like Azula's, but perhaps slightly better.

Azula took her fighting stance. Bloom hurriedly transformed. She stood firmly rooted to the ground despite her wings. She was going to minimize her time in the air. She didn't think it would be fair as Azula couldn't fly.

Wait, weren't firebenders able to fly on jets of their flames during Sozin's Comet?

Azula just waited. And smirked. Up on the ceremonial balcony, Uncle Iroh whispered something into Headmistress Faragonda's ear. Bloom saw it, and wondered what it was about for a split moment. They looked serious. Perhaps a suggestion to help her beat Azula? No, she had to do this herself.

And in that split second she redirected her attention, Azula chose to attack. She thrusted her palm outwards, shooting out a large burst of blue flames, which illuminated the courtyard and threw a blue hue on the walls of Alfea. Bloom's eyes widened; she had been unprepared. She hurriedly conjured up a fire armor and stayed behind it, as the blue fire ricocheted off the shield, shooting to the sides. Bloom felt immense heat; this was real fire. No magic spells, nothing. Fire. In its (non-existent) blood.

"Dragon fury!" Bloom cried, sending one of her spells at Azula. Her spells had been enhanced, too, but it was not very noticeable. Azula shot another wild jet of blue fire, swallowing Bloom's attack. Bloom didn't give up, she dodged between the flames, throwing spells at Azula, who dodged each one of them as well with superior agility. She didn't even ruin her hair! Bloom panted and puffed. She spotted her parents and Daphne watching in the crowd of spectators. They had heard about her battle and had been so worried about her that they were willing to abandon their royal duties. Azula once again, noticed Bloom's momentary distraction, and charged towards her on a jet of fire; Bloom was horrified to see that her feet weren't touching the ground. So it was true. Firebenders could fly with their flames during the comet. Azula shot out more blue flames from her palm, and Bloom was once again forced to hide behind the shield like a coward.

Azula began encircling her, trapping her in a circle of tall dancing blue flames. "Fire Catcher!" Bloom cried. She could use this spell again and again, but it took up too much of her energy. She could not spend all her time absorbing the flames, she had to bring down Azula. The blue flames flew up and were absorbed by her. She saw with satisfaction, the Fire princess's horror as she discovered that the fairy of the dragon's flame could absorb fire as well as dispense it.

Azula leaped, and did three crescent kicks, turning and moving so gracefully and nimbly. Her fire spiralled out and Bloom responded by shooting one of her best blasts, and breaking the rings of fire before separating them to the sides. The fairy noticed that the spectators seemed to be cheering, but whose side they were on, she couldn't hear over the roars of Azula's flames. Azula punched out more flames, and this one was shooting across the courtyard toward Bloom. The fairy noticed where it was going and instantly flew up, to avoid being burned from the feet up. Sweat was breaking out all over her forehead, not because of fear, but because of the intense heat. Her Believix fairy costume would've been plastered to her body had magic not taken care of that.

Azula looked up, watching Bloom soar into the sky. She shot her jet of fire upwards, then brought it down forcefully, so that Bloom was forced to the ground, landing on her back. "Ah! Fire armor!" The shield appeared just in time, protecting her from the flames which would've scorched her had the shield not appear in time. As the flames dissipated, Bloom scrambled to her feet, unable to touch the ground because it suddenly felt like a stove after it had just been used. Bloom could close her eyes and imagine she was atop a volcano about to blow its top and it would have been believable. As she got back to her feet, her eyes were augmented as she noticed Azula conjure up something big, something which made a crackling sound which sounded horrifyingly like electricity.

Lightning! Bloom flew out of the way as one whizzed past her left ear, almost grazing her. Her heart was doing the lambada. "Fire Arrow!" she yelled, sending the spell at Azula. Better not say anything about the spell never missing its target, Bloom thought, remembering what had happened when she told Ogron just that. She watched the slightly augmented arrow (due to the comet) whiz towards Azula with greater speed than usual. As she expected, the Fire princess dodged it, and it came back for her, as she was prepared to shoot more lightning at Bloom. The arrow slammed into her back, sending her sprawling onto the ground, grazing her cheek and burning her hands. It wasn't considered as a burn made by Bloom, as it had not been caused by the fairy's own fire. Azula hurriedly got to her feet and threw another bolt of lightning at Bloom, who ducked. The lightning hit the barrier with such a loud crack that Bloom thought she must have been rendered half-deaf. Azula didn't wait; two more jets of flames met Bloom, and she was thrown back into the barrier. She had conjured a shield just in time, and her clothes were singed and not on fire.

Bloom glanced up as fast as she could. The comet was right above them. Come on, not long more, and Azula's fire would return to normal. Bloom kept dodging more flames which came her way, sending more spells out. Azula suddenly came flying above her, cackling wildly, and shot down a mixture of fire and lightning. Bloom rolled out of the way, earning herself burns as she touched the scalding hot floor. "Remove the barrier!" she yelled as loudly as she could, hoping the headmistress could hear. She could not fight like this. Azula was now releasing flames like crazy; she seemed to be out of control. The flames were trapped within the barrier like a gas chamber and the smoke was suffocating Bloom. "Fire Catcher!" she choked and absorbed some of the flames. Bearable now, but that will change soon. "Remove the barrier!" she yelled once more.

Outside the barrier, Sky heard her and he instantly shouted out what she wanted to Headmistress Faragonda. The spectators thought it was almost useless to watch; all they saw were large flames billowing about. Headmistress Faragonda seemed to realise this and she removed the barrier, but this time conjured a new one which protected the spectators who were forced into the shelter of Alfea's alcoves. Toph felt the ground. She could feel the heat. And she could feel Bloom's wild heartbeat. Azula's was nowhere near as wild as Bloom's.

"Take this!" Bloom cried, sending a spell at Azula, relieved for the breeze which washed over her as the barrier was removed. Though it was hot breeze due to the comet, it was still ten times better than Azula's intense flames and suffocating smoke. Bloom wondered if there was such a thing as smokebending. Azula was forced back right into the wall of the opposite Alfea building, cracking the wall in the process. The Fire princess clenched her fists and bit her tongue to prevent herself from groaning or crying out. She sent more lightning at Bloom, but the fairy already had more space and she was able to fly and throw more of her spells.

Azula was now panting and puffing. Her hair was a disheveled mess, looking as though it was about to come out of her topknot. Her crown had been lost somewhere in the fight. She did a block and shot out a jet of fire like water coming out of a water hose, straight at Bloom who was hovering in the air. Bloom felt the heat once more, and quickly used one of her shields, before returning the attack with one of her spells. The comet had passed them and was moving on towards the horizon. A little bit more, a little bit more...

Finally the Fire Nation Princess lost it. She conjured up more lightning and shot it straight at someone on her left- Stella. Well, not exactly Stella. It was between Stella and Roxy. Either way, both will get hurt. Bloom watched this in horror, totally paralysed and rooted to the spot. Finally she regained her senses, but it was too late. The lightning had touched one of her friends.

Wait, no, it hadn't. Someone had leaped in front of them and was gathering the lightning. Bloom watched as General Iroh redirected the lightning at his niece, who managed to roll out of the way and the bolt of lightning hit the ceremonial balcony, causing it to crack and fall apart. Headmistress Faragonda managed to hold it together with a spell, but Toph had felt the vibrations and rode the earth towards them and bended a slide up which caught what was left of the balcony, held intact by Faragonda's spell, to slide and land safely.

Azula was still battling with Bloom, still determined to win. Faragonda noticed Bloom was still confined, so she removed the barrier, but that was a bad choice. The comet was still around and Azula's flames soared through the air and landed with crashes near the spectators. Several Alfea fairies screamed, and ran into the building, but Katara leaped before those threatened by the flames and began dousing them with waterbending. The Specialists took out their swords and began absorbing the flames like they did to magical spells, and Sokka tried doing the same, but the flames only threatened to melt his boomerang. What about space sword?

"Wow, cool sword you've got there, buddy!" Brandon managed to compliment Sokka, who beamed.

Aang was doing his part to stop the fire from burning the innocent spectators. It was not only Azula's fire now, but also some of Bloom's wayward spells. He blew back the flames while Zuko, standing not far off, separated the flames with his own, so that they didn't touch the spectators. Toph bended the earth up every time she felt intense heat, signalling one of Azula's fireballs was lunging itself at or near her. Suki was beside her to help her.

"Earth wall, Toph, earth wall!" Suki called as one of Bloom's spells which Azula had dodged came flying towards them. Toph bended the wall in time, and Bloom's spell crashed into it, smashing it to bits.

Bloom and Azula glared at each other, both perspiring dreadfully, panting and puffing, almost out of energy and fire, but both still determined to win. Finally, the sky was completely dark once more, as the comet disappeared from view. Azula's fire remained blazing in the courtyard of Alfea, but she could no longer punch out huge amounts of fire. Bloom's spells had returned to normal. The courtyard was silent, as the flames from Azula's last spell dissipated.

Sozin's Comet had passed.

**Credits go to cookiegirl28 for several scenes.**


	6. Ty Lee vs Layla

The battle between Bloom and Azula had done a number on the two of them, as well as several of their friends. Bloom and Azula avoided each other as much as possible. Bloom was glad there were no serious injuries during the battle, but Azula wasn't satisfied as she kept replaying the battle again and again in her mind and she knew she did not win. Neither of them won, actually, but she still couldn't accept that. She wanted the satisfaction.

Several of the Alfea fairies were keeping a good distance away from their 'honoured guests', having gathered wrong opinions of them, after Azula challenged Bloom to a fight. Some of the honoured guests, like Katara, were worried and disappointed that some of the fairies of Alfea no longer trusted them or wanted to have anything to do with them.

"Why do you even care, Sugar Queen?" Toph had told Katara when the waterbender had expressed her feelings about this turn of events. "Let the fairies hate us. We shouldn't care so much. Just because Azula challenged their heroine to a fight, they start hating on us, thinking all of us like to challenge innocent and weak people to fights and threaten many innocent lives."

"I've gotta agree with Toph, Katara," Sokka had added. "We should just enjoy our stay here and worry less about those fairies. Not to mention the food; we've got to savour as many of their local dishes as possible!"

There were still many days to go before they could return to the Avatarverse. But now a rivalry had sprung up between Bloom and Azula. Katara wondered how the following days would turn out.

Meanwhile, Ty Lee was really looking forward to something relaxing after the whole turmoil between her best friend and a fire fairy. It came to her in the form of a class.

Ty Lee had been part of the circus before, so she excelled at acrobatics and gymnastics, which she even applies to combat. She just loved performing all those moves. Her aura was never pinker when she had the freedom to do all that. But she was always following Azula around, but now, she had an excuse.

Ty Lee arrived at Magical Gym on time, to find other students milling about outside the classroom. After seeing how skilful she was, Headmistress Faragonda had decided she should join the senior Magical Gym class, attended only by the Believix and Enchantix fairies. In other words, the seniors of the school. Among them were the Winx.

"Good morning, Ty Lee!" Flora greeted, upon seeing the acrobat. "Joining us for Magical Gym?"

"You bet!" Ty Lee enthused. "I just love acrobatics. I'm sure this class is gonna be a whole lot of fun!"

"Well, it usually is!" Layla said, as they entered the class.

"Good morning girls, and welcome to a new lesson of Magical Gym," greeted the teacher, a lady dressed in a tutu with wings. "Welcome to Magical Gym, Ty Lee. Now, today, we would be doing something very simple; we'll be practicing and learning new moves! But first of all, everyone has to stretch, of course!"

The fairies began their stretching routine, Ty Lee able to stretch more than the rest of them, except Layla. They kept sneaking glances at each other, both trying to outdo one another.

"Don't compete, Layla and Ty Lee," warned the teacher. "Do not go beyond your pain threshold. You'll only be asking for trouble."

Once the stretching was done, the teacher demonstrated to them a move she wanted them to learn: the stand-up splits. All of the girls were to go to a certain pillar and do a split while standing up.

"Please, I don't even need a pillar to support me," Layla said, sneaking a sideways glance at Ty Lee as she did a perfect stand-up split.

"Well, neither do I!" Ty Lee responded. The chi-blocker did a stand-up split as well, and tried to go further by doing an over split. The chi-blocker and the fairy of Morphix tried to go as far as they could with a stand-up over split. The teacher, who was helping a few girls who couldn't manage, spotted them and came rushing over.

"Remember, do not go beyond your pain threshold! Oh, please don't ask for trouble!" she told Layla and Ty Lee who seemed to be enjoying themselves competing with each other.

The next move was a sideways flip, which some of the girls managed. Layla conjured up several raised platforms and pillars made of Morphix and did ascended them as she did a continuous sideways flip. The rest of the class was watching and began applauding and cheering. Ty Lee began doing sideways flip around the room, circling the perimeter of the gym with a series of continuous flips.

No one was paying any attention to the class from that moment. Everyone's attention had been redirected to Layla and Ty Lee who were evidently competing to see who was the better gymnast. The Magical Gym teacher merely watched, not attempting to stop them as she knew this was a healthy competition, unlike the fire duel.

Several of the fairies in the class were against Ty Lee after what Azula had done, and therefore they booed at her. At first, she was rather sad but soon realised why they were against her and was determined to show them what she could do and that she wasn't like Azula.

Layla did a series of dance forms gracefully and Ty Lee did a cartwheel into a backflip and kept up the pattern. Layla did more extreme dance moves as the class cheered her on and Ty Lee added more moves to her pattern. It soon became cartwheel, backflip, sideways flip, rolling on the floor, stand-up split, falling into a perfect split on the floor, doing a bridge while in a split, getting up, running and doing a triple backflip spin, before landing on her hands and walking while in a handstand.

"Go Layla!"

"Hooray for Layla! She's the best!"

"Keep it up, Layla!"

But despite recent happenings, Ty Lee had supporters as well.

"Keep moving, Ty Lee!"

"There's no one who can too Ty Lee's moves!"

"No one can beat the acrobat!"

The cheers kept the two girls moving and soon Ty Lee began throwing in some of her circus tricks. Layla was trying hard to top her with some wild dance moves which involved a lot of acrobatics as well. The fairy of Morphix had grabbed hold of a dance ribbon and was twirling gracefully with it. Ty Lee demonstrated her ability to do a handstand with only four fingers planted on the ground (two on each hand), her pirouettes and her graceful acrobatic movements.

Musa decided to heat things up by conjuring up a boom box and blasting some music. This kept Layla and Ty Lee going even more; this time they had a rhythm to move to. Both girls were exhausted and kept sneaking glances at each other, but they kept going on. In between a few moves they would exchange determined grins which often spoke, "Try this on for size!"

Ty Lee studied Layla's dance moves in between her circus tricks and followed them, swaying to the music. It soon turned into a dance competition, with both girls demonstrating their best moves. Ty Lee did several acrobatic dances from the Fire Nation only in time to the music Musa was playing. The class was cheering and doing a few of their moves as well.

The bell rang blatantly throughout the school, startling all of them, including the teacher, who was beginning to enjoy herself. Everyone applauded as Layla and Ty Lee stopped competing and joined in the applause as well.

"Well, I see you've all been treated to a rather good demonstration today!" said the teacher. "Ty Lee and Layla, you two were amazing! Keep that up, you'll definitely be raking in the A's for Magical Gym!"

"Those were some great moves, Layla," Ty Lee said, as they packed up their things and left the classroom, panting slightly.

"Thanks, Ty Lee," Layla replied. "You had some pretty awesome moves, too! Gosh, I actually found them hard to top."

"Perhaps I could show you to them sometimes," Ty Lee suggested. Layla's eyes lit up.

"Oh, that would be amazing!" the fairy of Morphix enthused.

"I have my conditions."

"Name them."

"You've got to teach me how to dance and groove like the people of Magix do at nightclubs," Ty Lee said.

"It's a deal," Layla responded, and they walked off together. It was the beginning of a new friendship.


	7. Christmas Special

The sunlight shone through the large floor-to-ceiling windows in Alfea's cafetaria, where long tables had been set out and breakfast was being served. Fairies filled the hall, sitting and chatting with friends at the tables, milling around with trays of food. Chatter filled the hall.

The Winx normally walked in as a group, minus one or two of them who were still asleep, but that had changed. Ty Lee and Layla walked through the large double doors, talking about Magical Gym class for that day and what new moves they wanted to learn.

"You know, I've always wanted to learn your style of dancing. It's so cool! We don't have that where we come from. Our dances there are mostly acrobatic, but your dances are not so much of acrobatic, but equally fun and the moves are quite easy! You have to teach me sometime! You will, won't you, Layla?"

Layla laughed. "Of course, Ty Lee," she smiled. "You must learn those moves. And then, perhaps, when you've learned a few, we can go to a nightclub in Magix and boogie together!"

Ty Lee beamed. "That's great! I can't wait!"

The pair grabbed their food and sat down at one of the tables. Bloom entered the hall, glanced around, keeping an eye out for Azula. She spotted the firebender seated at one end of the hall, at the end of one of the long tables, with that boring, forever depressed girl called Mai. She happened to look up right at that moment and caught Bloom's eye. The fire princess scowled and stared daggers at the fire fairy as Bloom walked towards the cafeteria lady, got her food and sat down opposite Musa, who was chatting with that blind girl, Toph about music. The blind earthbender didn't look too interested and Musa seemed to notice this as she talked less and less.

"Hey Musa!" Bloom greeted. "Are the rest of the Winx here?"

"Layla's over there with Ty Lee," Musa said, pointing in the direction of the aforementioned girls. "And Flora's over there talking to Katara, the waterbender. Stella's with Sokka and Zuko."

"She's a little flirt," Toph commented, all of a sudden.

"Yeah, well, that's one of her bad habits," smiled Bloom.

Headmistress Faragonda stood up and said, in a loud voice. "May I have your attention, please?" The cafeteria quiet ended as all the students of Alfea turned to face the headmistress.

"I have an announcement to make," she said. "It is the 23rd of December. Tomorrow will be Christmas Eve. I am glad to announce that Alfea will be organising a ball. It will be called the Snow Ball and it will beheld tomorrow night, to celebrate Christmas in style with our honoured guests. Do attend with your dance partners, as there will be a lot of dancing. It is a ball, after all. There will also be carolling for those who are interested. The Specialists of Redfountain will join us."

The fairies of Alfea burst into applause, some squealed with delight and the chatter started again, louder than before as the fairies started talking about the upcoming ball. They started planning what they wanted to wear and who they wanted to ask to the ball. Some girls were too ambitious as they planned to ask Prince Zuko to it.

"Well, what do you think of that, Katara?" Aang asked, leaning over towards his girlfriend. "A ball. Sounds like fun, huh?"

Katara smiled. "Yeah, Aang. There's gonna be dancing. So, who are you asking to it?"

Aang beamed. "Who other than my forever girl?"

Katara giggled before turning to Flora. "So Flora, is Helia going to ask you to the Snow Ball?"

Flora shrugged. "I hope," she smiled. "But I'm sure he will."

Ty Lee and Layla exchanged enthusiastic looks. Neither of them was thinking about asking a boy to the dance.

"We'll break out on the dance floor, and impress everyone," Ty Lee said, her eyes gleaming. The chi-blocker could hardly believe herself; she had always thought about boys when such events crop up but this was the first time her mind wasn't on that particular subject.

"Yeah, we'll flash all our moves!" Layla said, grinning. The two of them high-fived each other.

...

For the rest of the day, the fairies of Alfea and the Specialists at Redfountain texted and asked each other out. It was declared a school holiday that day so the students headed out to meet each other and asked each other out. The Winx went with the Specialists, of course.

"You know, Bloom, at a ball, it is normal that we would switch partners in the middle of it," Sky said, as he and Bloom took a stroll in Magix's park.

"Does that mean you'll sweep another girl off her feet?" Bloom asked, grinning mischievously.

Sky grinned back. "You disapprove?"

Bloom smiled and kissed Sky on the cheek. "Of course not. Have fun, honey."

...

"Brandon, I had better not catch you dancing with another girl tomorrow night or you'll be in big trouble, I'm telling you!" Stella warned her boyfriend when she overheard what Sky said.

Brandon smiled. "Oh, don't worry, Stella," he assured his girlfriend. "You'll be enough for me. But don't you go dancing with other guys, either."

"How dare you?" Stella exclaimed, but she was smiling broadly. "Oh, Brandon, you know I'll never do such a thing! Snookums!" She flung her arms around him.

...

"I've never seen you dance before, Helia," Flora told her boyfriend.

Helia smiled. "Then be ready to be swept off your feet tomorrow night, my sweet Flora," he replied, kissing her hand, making the fairy of nature smile and blush. "Shall we take a walk and revel in the beauty of nature which is as beautiful as you are?"

...

"A ball, Tecna?" Timmy asked, looking at his girlfriend questioningly. "You want to go to a ball?"

"Come on, Timmy! It won't be so bad! Remember that ball we had to welcome the freshmen? When the Winx and I were the freshmen? We did dance, didn't we?"

Timmy looked thoughtful. "I guess," he said.

Tecna smiled. "Don't worry about it, Timmy! After a few dances, we can sit in a corner and play video games while having cocktails for the rest of the night!"

Timmy beamed. "Count me in, then!"

...

Musa took a deep breath. Would she be able to do this? She walked up to her boyfriend and put on her most charming smile before asking, "Riven, would you like to go to the Snow Ball with me?"

Riven looked at his girlfriend. "I don't know if I'm going to this ball, Musa," he said. "I might, though."

Musa glared at her boyfriend. "How can you be so obnoxious? It's just a ball, Riven!"

"Yeah, and so what if I don't want to attend?" Riven argued. "It's my wish, isn't it?"

"You could at least attend, for me!" Musa challenged.

"Fine," Riven snapped. "I'll take you to this ball, but you'll probably be off dancing with other guys right after our first dance anyway."

Musa growled before realising that it was useless. Riven was probably in one of his bad moods. She walked off, feeling rather down.

...

"Just a few dances tonight, Nabu. Ty Lee and I are gonna rock the dance floor!" Layla told her fiancé. Nabu laughed.

"I guess you're already best friends with that acrobat?" he asked, smiling.

Layla shrugged. "I don't know. I've only known her for about a week. But we do share the same interests and she's amazing at gymnastics! She's a real natural!"

"I guess that practically makes you both best friends," Nabu responded. "But you'll dance with me, wont you, Layla? When the DJ isn't blasting out upbeat songs."

"Of course, honey," said Layla.

...

Azula paced her room. "I wish they would invite those witches from Cloudtower," she muttered to herself. "At least they're much more worth to be reckoned with." She stopped her pacing and turned to face Mai and Ty Lee, who were both sitting on their beds. Mai was just staring into space while Ty Lee was combing her hair. "Am I right?"

Mai looked at the fire princess. "Sure," she said. "Those witches seem more compatible with us." She wasn't being hundred percent truthful. Mai had bumped into those witches a few days ago and they had teased her about always keeping on such a boring look. They had called her names and she had reacted by pinning them to a wall in an alley in Magix and leaving.

"I don't know, Azula," Ty Lee said. "Those witches seem really mean. They always tease the fairies of Alfea and even some of us..."

"That's because they don't know who we are," Azula said. "And those Alfea fairies are just lame. They're teased because they deserve to be. They have absolutely no dignity. All giggling and talking about clothes and make-up..."

"You can't say that about them, Azula," Ty Lee said, putting down her brush. "Don't be so mean. Not all of them are like that."

"I assume you're referring to your new best friend, that tanned sporty girl called Layla?" Mai asked, in her usual bored tone. "She doesn't seem so bad, I must admit."

"Well, Layla's a bit of a tomboy," Azula remarked. "She irritatingly reminds me of that earthbender. She's fine, I guess. But her friends aren't. Especially that blonde girl Stella. I wish I could crush her."

Mai and Ty Lee said nothing. Mai wasn't really listening to Azula, whatever the princess said was going in one ear and exiting through the other. Ty Lee would've liked to retort but she didn't want to risk Azula's ire.

...

Aang and the Gaang were in their room. Aang and Katara were trying to decide what to wear.

"I knew I should've brought more of my dresses," Katara said, as she disappeared into the bathroom and emerged wearing a dress she had received as a gift from Stella. It was a designer one, bought in Magix. "What do you think?"

Aang looked at Katara dreamily. "You look nice,' he complimented, blushing. Toph smirked to herself as she felt Aang's heartbeat accelerate.

"No offense, Katara, but I don't think it really suits you," Suki said. The Kyoshi Warrior actually had a point; the dress did not suit Katara. Sokka nodded.

"Suki's right,' he said. "It doesn't match you."

"I don't usually voice my opinion about these sort of things, Katara, but I'll say something," Zuko spoke, all of a sudden. "Take it off. You don't look good. Put on something else. Suddenly the Firelord robes would look much better than that dress."

"But Stella bought it for me," Katara said.

"Oh, wear it, Katara," Toph said. "It looks perfectly gorgeous on you! No kidding!"

Katara beamed. "Oh, thank you Toph, for such a..." The waterbender stopped short when she realised that Toph couldn't actually see her. Her tone changed and her smile vanished. "Why do you always do that?" The earthbender smirked.

"Aren't you going to the ball, Toph?" asked Suki.

"Not really," Toph responded. "I'm just gonna go, get some food to eat, and just chill out. Perhaps listen to some music. I can tell you a whole lot of things about Magix's music which that Musa girl told me."

"What about you, Suki?" Katara asked. She grinned slyly. "I bet Sokka wouldn't pass up the chance to dance with you at a real ball."

Suki smiled and nodded as Sokka put an arm around her. "You're right, Katara!"

Aang turned to his Sifu Hotman. "And you, Zuko? I saw quite a number of Alfea girls asking you to the ball!"

Zuko didn't look up at Aang. "I'm not going to the ball."

Katara looked surprised. "Why not? It's not like Azula's going to be there, so she can't wreck havoc, am I right?"

"What makes you think Azula isn't going to be there?"

"Was she ever interested in balls?" Toph asked.

"No, but she may just attend this to get back at that Bloom girl. She hasn't been in her right mind since the Agni Kai," Zuko responded.

Sokka waved dismissively. "Oh, forget it, Zuko! That Bloom is a fairy, and Azula is just a firebender. You know very well who will triumph outside of an Agni Kai."

"Perhaps," Zuko said. "Maybe I should ask Mai out."

...

The ball couldn't begin any faster for the enthusiastic Alfea fairies who always looked forward to a good ball or a reason to celebrate. The fairies spent the few hours before the ball dressing up and even with half-an hour more to go to the ball, barely any of them were done with their toilet yet. Mai was looking pleased as she got dressed as Zuko had approached her a few hours before and asked her out. Ty Lee was dressing up in some funky Santa outfit.

"Spirits, Ty Lee, are you seriously wearing that?" Azula remarked. "You can't even pick out something that hideous in the bin back in the Fire Nation."

Ty Lee looked a little insulted and disappointed. If Azula said something didn't look good, then it probably looked terrible. Mai noticed Ty Lee's expression. She glanced at the outfit. It actually wasn't so bad. She glared slightly at Azula.

"Cut it out, Azula," Mai said. "Leave her alone. I think it doesn't look so bad."

"Oh, Mai! Thank you!" Ty Lee exclaimed, throwing her arms around her friend's neck. Azula just rolled her eyes and got into her more comfortable Fire Nation royal robes. There was no way she was wearing anything else.

In their rooms, the Winx were busy with their own toilet as well. Stella, especially, was freaking out because her dress was all crumpled and she hadn't done her hair. The other Winx had already gotten into their Christmas gowns and were applying make-up and accessories, et cetera.

"Come on, Stella!" Layla, who was dressed in something resembling Ty Lee's outfit, called. "Don't make us all late!"

"Oh, please, Layla," Stella said. "Everyone knows being fashionably late is better than being on time."

"Yeah, but being really late is very rude," Bloom added.

The Gaang were not putting much effort into dressing up and merely threw on some of their regular clothes. Katara had forced Toph into wearing her dress which she used to wear during her days in Gaoling. Katara herself had donned her Fire Nation dress. Zuko was putting on his Fire Nation prince wear as he wouldn't go to a ball without his honor. Aang decided to wear his monk's robe despite it being a ball. Sokka was just dressed in his Water Tribe warrior wear.

"Which girl can resist a warrior?" he said, grinning at himself in the mirror while Suki donned her Kyoshi Warrior garb complete with metal fans. She hadn't got anything much to wear and anyway, she really missed being in uniform.

...

There was so much movement within the castle. As Toph stood at the top of the stairs, she could feel that the entire school was moving around, all of them making a beeline for the hall, which was just down the stairs from where she stood. She could feel that the hall had been decorated with Christmas trees, and from the slight chill in the air, ice sculptures. Of course, there were also Christmas decorations strung across the ceiling, but that Toph couldn't see. She heard several girls rush past her, talking and giggling as the descended the stairs, Toph then felt an odd vibration, but she had felt it before during her stay and she recognised it as the arrival of the Redfountain airships. At least, she thought they were airships.

"The Specialists from Redfountain are here," Toph mused. She descended the stairs and went over to some of the bars they had set up where food and drinks were being sold. Toph recognised a particular person's footsteps as she neared the bar. "Roxy?"

The fairy of animals looked up and smiled at the earthbender before remembering that she couldn't see. "Hey Toph!"

"What are you doing here?" Toph asked. "I thought girls like you would enjoy something like this. A ball."

"Well, I do enjoy it," Roxy responded, pouring out some drinks. "But thanks to my experience working at the Frutti Music Bar, Headmistress Faragonda has allowed me to work several shifts throughout the ball here, at the bar. Have you been to any balls, Toph?"

Toph rested her elbows on the bar top, before turning to face the hall, which she couldn't see. "Yeah, I did attend quite a number. You can't really help it, being the daughter of the richest family in the Southern Earth Kingdom. I really hated those balls. All manners and stuff, and we even have protocols for eating! Man, I sure don't want to go back to those days!"

Roxy laughed, as she prepared more drinks and served them to several students. "Well, your balls certainly are old-fashioned. Our balls here aren't that bad. There's a little more upbeat music, and you don't need all those mannerisms and stuff, and you can eat and drink however you like! Which is why there's a bar here! Want a drink?"

Toph nodded and Roxy handed her one of the smoothies. "Try this," she said. "Don't worry, it won't be anything like the fizzy drink I made you try last week."

The earthbender cautiously took the drink and sipped it. "Hm, not bad," she commented.

The ball was just starting. The Redfountain specialists made a grand entrance which left Sokka gaping for the next few minutes. The famous composer, Maestro Sifelius, played an opening for the dance and so the first few minutes of the ball saw several students hanging around, getting drinks, eating or slow dancing to the waltz music being played by the old maestro. Bloom and Sky had the first dance, then they headed over to one corner.

"I'll go get some drinks," Sky said, before leaving Bloom. The fairy of the dragon's flame stood there, gazing around at the decorations, the group of musicians including Musa, preparing to go onstage after Maestro Sifelius's next waltz to play a series of Christmas songs and carols for the rest of the evening. She was greeted by a few of her friends as they walked past her with their partners. Just then, she heard someone walking up to her.

"So do you often have these sort of balls?"

Bloom turned. It was Prince Zuko.

"Um, not really," she replied. "Unless there's some sort of special occasion, like today."

There was silence. "I'm sorry about the Agni Kai the other day. That's just like my sister, trying to settle feuds with battles and combat," the Fire Nation prince finally broke the silence.

Bloom nodded. "Don't worry," she said. "I know you're Azula's brother and all, but I'm not blaming you." They stood there in silence for a few moments more before Bloom broke the silence by asking something she had wanted to ask Prince Zuko in a long time.

"Zuko, how did you get that scar?"

She immediately regretted it as she saw Zuko's expression. Her blood ran cold. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," she said, hurriedly.

"It's alright," Zuko said. "I would tell you, but here comes your boyfriend. I should get going."

"Hey, Prince Zuko!" greeted Sky as he came up with drinks for himself and Bloom. "Enjoying yourself? Where's Mai?"

Zuko pointed across the room at where Mai was dancing with another boy, a Specialist from Redfountain. "I just danced with her and found out I don't dance. And I don't want her to get angry or ruin her mood this evening, so I'm not going to prevent her from dancing with anyone else."

Sky and Bloom exchanged looks. From Zuko's tone, it was obvious he and Mai often had relationship problems. Sky placed a hand in Zuko's shoulder, making the Fire Nation prince feel rather awkward.

"That's the right thing to do, buddy," the King of Eraklyon said. "She'll appreciate it, I'm sure."

Zuko gave an appreciative smile as Sky and Bloom walked off with their drinks, chatting and laughing and talking about the next dance.

An upbeat song began playing and the students of Alfea and Redfoutain cleared away from the dance floor as Ty Lee and Layla began their crazy acrobatic dance moves. No one dared to dance for fear of being injured and some wanted to watch. It was so obvious Ty Lee and Layla were having a competition out there on the dance floor. Musa watched from her place on the stage and laughed. Several students even began holding up placards to support the two and some held placards up with scores upon ten.

"Wow, your friend sure can dance, can't she?" Toph smirked, her remark directed at Roxy, who was cleaning glasses. The fairy of animals merely smiled.

Sokka and Suki dominated the dance floor next, along with Aang and Katara and they began to do several dances from all four nations. In between dances, they switched partners and the students all watched them intently, for they hardly saw any of these dance moves. The teachers and staff who had attended the ball watched this as well, but knew better than to start explaining to the student the culture heritage and whatnot. Uncle Iroh went up to Musa.

"Would you like to play the Tsungi Horn?" he asked her, presenting her the horn. Musa smiled and accepted it.

"Thanks!" she said. "I've been practising since Halloween!"

The honoured guests danced with several Alfea and Redfountain students all except Toph, Zuko and Azula, who remained on the sidelines. Bloom then tapped on Zuko's shoulder.

"I don't believe you can't dance," she said. "Come on. I insist. That is an order from the princess of Domino." Bloom smiled. She looked over Zuko's shoulder where Sky gave her the thumbs-up and his silent permission. She led the awkward prince into the dance floor, where they began waltzing, Bloom explaining all the rules as they danced. Azula watched with a small smirk. Uncle Iroh was also spotted waltzing with Headmistress Faragonda and Professor DuFour.

At midnight, everyone gathered together to sing Christmas carols. Musa resumed her flute while Aang played the Tsungi Horn and found it hard to stay still as he began tapping his feet and swaying in time to the music as he played the horn. Snow began falling from the ceiling, conjured up by magic, much to the delight of the students. Toph, however, was horrified and leapt up into the counter and sat there, not wanting to get frostbite nor wanting to be totally blind.

"Do you mind, Roxy?" she asked the fairy of animals.

Roxy laughed. "I don't know, Toph," she said. "Because my shift is over!" She hurried out onto the dance floor, where she began dancing with a few Redfountain specialists, leaving a disgruntled Toph.

"Don't worry, Toph, we're here," Tecna said, as she came up to the bar with Timmy.

"Aren't you dancing with Timmy?" the earthbender asked.

"Oh we're done with dancing," Timmy responded, letting Toph know that he was there, too. "We're gonna okay video games now!"

"That sounds great," Toph said sarcastically as the two tech-freaks got lost in video games and the earthbender merely sat there and listened to Christmas songs.

The partying and merry-making went late/early into the morning and it was almost four before the thing ended. All the students wished the ball could've gone on much longer but for some like Toph and Azula, they were glad it was over. Everyone returned to their rooms and slept till it was almost noon.


	8. Fight Like a Girl

It was a Sunday, so Redfountain Training Centre for Specialists was deserted save for those who were trying to gain extra credit, attempting to finish leftover homework or just to get extra training. Among these students was Sky, who had been requested to stay by Codatorta. The other Specialists had gone out to hang out with the Winx at the White Horse, and Sly couldn't help but feel rather down as he had been hoping to see Bloom that weekend.

"And so, that's the history of Redfountain," Saladin finished explaining to the four warriors. Mai stifled a yawn. Sokka's mind had wandered off; he couldn't help wondering what sort of food was served at Redfountain's cafeteria and if they would be able to eat later. Ty Lee and Suki had listened attentively to the history of the school, asking questions in between; though Ty Lee's were a little too enthusiastic and illogical at times.

"And so what were we here for again?" Mai asked, turning to the headmaster of the school. She remembered their purpose of heading to Redfountain, she just didn't want Saladin to plunge into another history lesson or anecdote. Suddenly, she understood why Azula often yawned whenever something she wasn't interested in was being explained and elaborated to her.

"The four of you are going to be training a few selected Specialists today and next Sunday," explained Saladin. "We've observed your fighting skills and I must say, I'm really impressed. Therefore, it has been arranged; you would teach the Specialists your fighting techniques and they, in return, will impart their knowledge of several weapons and techniques they have learnt."

"How is it that I've never heard of this agreement?" Sokka asked. "And do we get meals?"

"Sokka, you weren't paying attention when General Iroh informed us," Suki said, turning to her boyfriend. "I guess he picked the wrong time to announce it; it was lunch, and they had your favourite Water Tribe dishes."

"You will have your meals soon enough," Saladin said. He couldn't help but think that Sokka was a rather strange boy. "For now, follow me."

The headmaster brought them to the arena where the first selected group of Specialists was waiting. Some were chatting among themselves, some were wearing serious looks and doing their warm-ups while some seem to think this was all a joke and they didn't need training from a bunch of expatriate warriors.

"Good morning, boys!" Saladin greeted, as he walked up to the Specialists, with the four non-benders in tow. "As you all know, you have been specially hand-picked to learn from these warriors, which can be considered a privilege and a good opportunity to make friends. And..."

"Come on, headmaster," said one of the boys named Pete, all of a sudden, cutting Headmaster Saladin off. "Who'd want to make friends with these freaks? We don't need to train with them, we're doing extremely well on our own." He wore a smug smile.

Headmaster Saladin scowled at him, but before the old man could say a word, Suki stepped forward. "Don't worry, I think we'll get off on the right foot. I'm sure you'll find our tactics quite useful..."

"I'm not learning from three girls," scoffed Pete. "And a ponytail guy."

"Hey! I'm Boomerang Guy!" Sokka half-yelled, completely insulted.

Saladin tried to get a word in, but Mai stepped forwards. She pointed in the direction of the door. "Well, if that's the case," she said, with a solemn expression. "You may leave now. Please exit the arena so your comrades can begin training."

Pete shot her a glare before pulling his sword out of its sheath. "No," he said. "I'm going to challenge one of you to a duel."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I challenge you to fight Ty Lee without that sword," she said. Ty Lee turned to look at Mai with a rather surprised expression. "Or Suki."

"I have an idea! Since you're so good, why don't you fight both of us at the same time?" Suki said, smirking.

"No, I'll only fight one of you."

"Good," Mai said. "It'll be Ty Lee."

The Specialists were all watching intently, waiting to see what will develop, whispering among themselves and taking bets. Saladin, however, was far from approval.

"Are you sure about this?" he questioned the female warriors.

"Yes. Don't worry, Headmaster Saladin," reassured Suki, nonchalantly. "Ty Lee won't hurt Pete to a point where she cripples him, and anyway, this is a good opportunity to demonstrate her skills with pressure points to the others." She gestured at the other Specialists. Saladin couldn't argue with that.

"So, am I in this fight?" Ty Lee asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, Ty Lee," Mai said. She pointed at Pete. "Your first task, is to take out that Specialist. You're going to demonstrate your skills."

Still rather confused about the whole situation but understanding what she had to do, Ty Lee took her place on one side of the arena. Pete took his place on the other side and faced the chi-blocker. He put his two fists up and got into a stance. Ty Lee didn't take a stance.

"You may begin," Saladin said, and the battle commenced.

Both of them started running towards each other, and began hand-to-hand combat in the centre of the arena, where they met. Ty Lee tried to hit Pete's pressure points, but the Specialist was doing a good job of blocking all of her attacks.

"Looks like he's better than we give him credit for," Sokka said, from the sidelines, where he sat with Saladin, Mai and Suki.

Ty Lee hit several pressure points on Pete's left arm, numbing it a little, but the boy was still going strong with his right hand. He resorted more to kicks and the acrobat realised she had an advantage, for in real combat, your feet should hardly leave the ground. She blocked one of Pete's high kicks by curling her leg around it and pulling it down before sending a series of quick jabs in the Specialist's side, causing it to turn numb. Pete found it difficult to move, and it was only a matter of minutes before Ty Lee numbed his entire body and the Specialist fell to the floor.

There was a short silence, but applause from the Specialists quickly followed. Those who had won bets were claiming their cash from their friends while Saladin and the rest of the Avatarverse warriors got up and walked towards Ty Lee and Pete. "He'll be alright in a matter of hours," said Suki.

"I so wanna learn those moves!" one Specialist enthused, as the group headed down to the arena from the stands.

"Well, shall we begin?" Suki asked, as Pete was dragged off to the side.

**Sorry for not updating for so long! Please review.**


	9. AN- A little decision-making

So, I'm currently writing a new chapter which involves shipping! Yeah, well, this one involves a whole lot of crack pairings, because this time, the Winx, Specialists and the Gaang will have to partner up with one of the honoured guests to get to know more about each other and strengthen their ties. It's not going to be like a romantic date, but more of like a friendly outing. That means Avatar/Winx shippings.

Right. We'll be starting with the male/female pairings. As you know, only three males came to Alfea; Aang, Sokka and Zuko. There are seven Winx girls. Each of them has to pair up with one of the three Avatarverse boys. As for the Specialists, they will be pairing up with the women from the Avatarverse; Katara, Toph, Suki, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. Since there's six of them and six Specialists, this should be easy. Remember, only one Specialist to one AV lady, so all of them actually has a chance. Aang, Sokka and Zuko will have to go one multiple outings, no doubt.

Since, I'm only the writer, I'm letting you readers decide the ships and I'll take the majority vote. All you have to do is review with the first slash pairing: Winx fairy/Avatarverse boy and the second one: Specialist/Avatarverse lady.

Happy voting! The similar gender pairings will be along after this. Remember, these are not romantic dates, merely outings to strengthen ties! I just call them ships to avoid confusion and to make things easier.


	10. The Shipping Wars (Part I)

**Kind of like a late Valentine's Day chapter. Expect a lot of crack pairings.**

* * *

The halls of Alfea were decorated with pink and red streamers, announcing the arrival of Valentine's, a holiday heavily-anticipated by the fairies of Alfea. Headmistress Faragonda had been kind enough to issue it a holiday despite it falling on a Monday, though, she had had her own terms and conditions. The Winx would have to spend the day, not with their own boyfriends and fiances, but with some of their honoured guests. The fairies had been in a state of shock at first, but the headmistress had proceeded to explain that it was only supposed to help strengthen bonds and ties. All of them, Stella, particularly, had refused to co-operate, till the headmistress informed them that it would be included in their year-end report. In fact, the whole time their honoured guests had been in Alfea, they had been graded on how they acted and reacted and, apparently, Bloom nearly failed herself when she and Azula had that Agni Kai.

"How is it that we were not informed of this earlier?" demanded Musa, quite annoyed, as she didn't want to disrupt her relationship with Riven and going out with one of the guests despite being only for educational purposes, she was sure he would probably be jealous, like he always did. They were an on-off couple, and at the moment, they were 'on', and Musa didn't want that to change.

"We were afraid you would act unnaturally should you know this would count in your year-end report," the headmistress replied. "But what's the harm, girls? The Specialists will have to go out with our female guests as well!" This remark earned her appalled looks from the seven Winx girls. "And don't you worry, the guests have been informed of this as well, and they were equally shocked, but they've agreed. Besides, unlike the other Alfea fairies, you will not only have Valentine's off, but also Tuesday, too."

"An extra holiday? What about Brandon? Will he get that holiday, too?" asked Stella.

Headmistress Faragonda nodded. "Don't you worry, Stella. The Specialists and the guests will have Tuesday off as well. Consider it as your real Valentine's Day."

"Do you we get to choose who we go out with?" Bloom asked.

"Yes, you may choose. But please, do not fight over a certain someone," the headmistress replied. "As far as I know, there are very few boys amongst the guests. Aang, Zuko and Sokka. Just three of them."

"So we're supposed to go out on an... outing with at least one of them? Did they really agree to this?" Layla asked, slightly apprehensive.

Faragonda sighed. "Well, Aang agreed immediately, but then again, he's just a boy, and he probably thinks this whole thing is just to strengthen ties, which is its actual aim. Only it's kind of one-to-one, you get what I mean? Zuko was furious, I must say, but his uncle managed to calm him down. Sokka seemed okay with it. But I've already explained to all of them it is only to help you get to know each other better. In fact, after these Valentine's 'dates', you'll have to hang out with the female guests as well, especially you, Bloom, you'll be definitely be going out with Azula to repair your burnt relationship."

The Winx immediately groaned, but they agreed in the end.

"So, should we draw lots or something?" Tecna asked, once they were outside.

"That would be best," Bloom agreed.

Tecna ripped out a page from her notebook and wrote out the three boys' names seven times each, to make it fair. Each of them took one small, folded piece.

"Ready?" Bloom said. All of them drew in a deep breath and unfolded the tiny pieces of papers they held.

...

Zuko glanced around the cafe. Should it have been his first time there, he would've just stood there in the doorway, gaping, but having been warned not to do anything of the sort by Uncle Iroh, should he not want to elicit laughter from the patrons, the Fire Nation prince entered and took a seat at a small table for two in a corner, by the window.

It was so stupid, shallow and annoying. When he had agreed to go on this field trip to Magix with Uncle Iroh and the rest of the Gaang, he hadn't foreseen things like this. And Uncle Iroh was so calm when Zuko vented his anger, and merely told him that it was just to foster closer relationships. But whatever for? Zuko thought it was a waste of time, and couldn't help wondering what Mai was thinking. He feared she might fall for whoever she was going to 'foster a closer relationship' with. He feared the same for himself. Zuko withdrew the slip of paper from his robes. On it were three names, with different times. Bloom, Stella and Flora. Zuko didn't have anything against the Winx girls (though he did think they were weird), but he still didn't agree to this matchmaking thing.

The door of the cafe opened and Bloom entered, glancing around and finally spotting Zuko in the corner. She cautiously walked over and sat down opposite him. "Hi there," she greeted.

Zuko returned her greeting with a slight inclination of his head and a short "Hi."

A waiter came over and took their orders, leaving the two of them staring out of the window.

"Um, so, tell me more about the Fire Nation. You're the prince, right? I suppose you should know a lot about it," Bloom spoke, trying to start up a conversation.

"I don't think I want to talk about it," replied Zuko.

Bloom hesitated. "Look, just pretend I'm some foreign person who is thinking of traveling to the Fire Nation, but I don't know anything about it." Silence only greeted her. Bloom got slightly exasperated. "Come on, Zuko, it is counted in our year-end report. Let's just talk about random things. Like, say, maybe, dragons?"

Zuko turned away from the window. "Fine," he snapped. "Dragons, it is."

...

Aang grinned and waved at Musa as he spotted her waiting by the entrance to Magix's museum of music. It had been Musa's choice, of course, and Aang had agreed to it, as he didn't really know much about the interesting places in Magix. And he wasn't exactly against music. The fairy of music had assumed he liked it after he had introduced her to the Tsungi Horn.

"Hey, Aang!" Musa greeted, as the airbender monk came running up. She thought this whole date-thing was awkward, being more so given the fact Aang was years younger than her and inches shorter, so she had decided to pretend she was taking her little brother out on a field trip. It seemed to work. "Now, you won't find anything like Tsungi Horns or other instruments you have in the Avatarverse."

"Well, yes, I know," Aang responded, looking excited. "I'm in a whole different dimension, right? Whole different things, then."

Musa and Aang entered the museum and joined the queue at the ticket counter. Musa glanced at her watch. She had two hours with Aang, before she was finally free. It was strange, how these things were arranged, some of the Winx had multiple 'dates', but she had only been assigned Aang. Perhaps it was the foreshadowing of something worse than the 'dates'. Musa pushed the thought out of her mind as the queue moved up and Musa got the tickets.

"So, listen up, Aang, I can't afford any nonsense from you, so please do not try any bending in this place. It's a museum, as you..."

"Yes, I know, I know. Please don't treat me like a little kid," Aang spoke, looking slightly miserable. No doubt he was Musa's little brother for the day, but she was overdoing the act.

The first display was of a piano, with a huge sign on it reading 'PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH'. Aang resisted the temptation to jam on the exposed ivories, and glanced at Musa to remind him not to do anything rash. It was hard, due to his excitable nature. Musa spent minutes admiring each display and every time he was tempted to do something that might be considered as bad behaviour, he glanced at Musa again. Aang felt miserable. He kept catching glimpses of Musa's watch, and kept track of the time. He had two hours with the fairy, before he had to meet another fairy, Layla. She was athletic, so perhaps he might be granted some freedom.

...

The 16-year old strolled casually down the path, toying with his boomerang, throwing it whenever he had the chance and deftly capturing it. The people hanging out at the park turned as he walked by, watching his skill with the boomerang in awe. They had seen Redfountain Specialists perform similar, and even greater, feats with the weapon, but the way the boy was doing it, was quite different from anything they had seen at Redfountain.

Sokka was aware of it and was relishing it.

Sokka did not agree to this date-thing anymore than his fellow mates from the Avatarverse, but he was sure he would do far better than any of them. He was the best with the girls, after all. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Aang going out with a girl whose face he had to look up to see. Sokka was also aware that he was younger than the Winx, but it didn't matter. And Suki had been so sweet and kind which put him at ease. Surprisingly, Suki had not gotten paired up; she was going to spend the day training the juniors at Redfountain. Codatorta had insisted and Faragonda decided it was best. However, she would still have to do this project, so they were deciding on Nabu, the wizard, and arranged the date to be the following day. That had elicited protests from the other girls, especially Azula and Toph. Azula looked like she was about to burn the office down, but was almost restrained. Toph insisted the 'lily-livers of specialists' needed training and she could do it, too, not just Suki. Ty Lee spoke also of her gymnastics skills, but she seemed to prefer the whole dating event. Mai couldn't be bothered, but she finally wore a mild expression of horror as she unfolded her slip and slapped Sokka away when he had attempted to see who she had been assigned. Unfortunately, he had caught sight of the names 'Nabu' and 'Helia' as Mai had been pretty distracted.

The first name on Sokka's list was Flora, the fairy of nature, and she had chosen the park. Sokka didn't mind two hours in the park, but he hoped he would be able to make a quick trip to a non-vegetarian restaurant before his next 'date', with the fairy of technology. Sokka dreaded that one, he didn't want to spend two hours listening to her explain and talk about gadgets he had never come across in his entire 16 years of existence.

Sokka spotted the fairy of nature and hurried over. She was sitting idly beneath the boughs of a tree, playing with the leaves that tickled her head. Sokka hesitated for a moment, before ducking behind a bush and picking up a handful of flowers. He then sashayed over to Flora and presented her with the small bouquet, startling her slightly.

"Lovely flowers for a lovely girl," Sokka said, with a small curtsey, aware of the flowers suddenly drooping. Flora seemed a little shocked. "Don't you like them?" he asked.

"Sokka, you're not supposed to pick flowers or damage any of the plants in Magix Park," Flora said, slowly, when there was suddenly a shout from someone behind Sokka. Both turned cautiously to see an old, sour-faced man shaking a fist at Sokka and hobbling fast towards them.

"Let's go!" Sokka exclaimed, taking Flora's hand and racing out of the park, dragging her along.

"You should own up!" Flora called, but Sokka wasn't listening. He didn't stop till they were on the main street, where, by then, the old man had given up chasing them.

Flora frowned at him. "You should own up," she repeated, panting slightly, yet still sounding firm. "Such a cowardly thing to do."

Sokka gave her an incredulous look. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice cracking. "I just picked flowers! And look!" He held them out to Flora, who took a step back. "They're still alive! You can just pop them in a vase of water and they'll live!"

Flora sighed as she took the flowers from him and using her nature magic, replanted them in a planter by the pavement. She had heard that Sokka was good with the ladies, but they had obviously meant the women of the Avatarverse. Still, it wasn't like he had ever gone out with a nature fairy. "Okay, so the park's out of the question now. Where shall we go?" Flora asked. "You pick."

"Oh no, you pick," Sokka insisted.

Flora thought about it. She could pick a flower show, but would he enjoy it. Definitely not. She finally had an idea.

"Come on," she said.

**Thanks for all the shipping suggestions and sorry for this late chapter. I'm having an exam soon, so the next one will be pretty late as well, though I'll try to write a little each day. **

** Also, for the other chapters, like the Halloween and the Agni Kai, which used to be in parts, I've compiled them into one chapter, so I apologise if you find some chapters missing/are unable to review on the right chapter. For now, all the chapters seem to be there, though.**


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